Security forces patrol outside a building that was attacked by suspected al-Shabab militants in Mogadishu, capital of Somalia, on Feb. 21, 2023. (Photo by Hassan Bashi/Xinhua)
The African Union (AU) Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) said on Thursday that it has completed the first phase of troop withdrawal from Somalia with the handover of military bases in the capital of Mogadishu and the southern region.
MOGADISHU, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) said on Thursday that it has completed the first phase of troop withdrawal from Somalia with the handover of military bases in the capital of Mogadishu and the southern region.
ATMIS said Mogadishu's Aljazeera One training military base and Jubaland State's Geriley base, located in southern Somalia, were handed over to the Somali security forces on Thursday.
"This brings the total number of Forward Operating Bases (military bases) handed over to Somalia security forces to six, while the Marka Ayub facility was closed," Shitanda Terence Soita, Geriley base commander, said in a statement issued in Mogadishu by the AU mission.
A police officer beefs up security at the scene of militant attack in Mogadishu, capital of Somalia, on Jan. 22, 2023. (Photo by Hassan Bashi/Xinhua)
Aljazeera One training military base was manned by Uganda People's Defense Forces, while the Geriley base was manned by Kenya Defense Forces.
ATMIS is expected to withdraw 2,000 troops by the end of June and another 3,000 by September in compliance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2628 and 2670, which mandates ATMIS to also hand over security responsibilities in agreed areas to Somali security forces. ■
