Somalia’s Minister of Defense Abdulkadir Mohamed Noor, has hit back at MP Abdullahi Mohamed Sanbalolshe who rebuked  the government of excluding local militias on the second phase of operations against Al-Shabaab.
The former head of intelligence , MP Sanbaloolshe accused the government of focusing on the second phase of the war and not involving the local people who played an important role in the first phase of the war.
“The main reason for this war’s success is that the people and the Shabaab were pitted against each other. When the government leads the war, there are setbacks and defeats. When the people are leading, there is progress and success,” said MP Sanbaloolshe.
Speaking to VOA Somali service the defence minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Noor voiced  that the government has not deviated from the system it initially started in the war to protect the local people.
“This war is a war that belongs to the Somali people and the people and the government are cooperating. The successes achieved were achieved through the cooperation of the people and the government, but the one who is looking for it and every area that is being liberated is planning for its people,” said the Minister of Defense Abdikadir.
The minister also noted that the plan for the second phase of the protracted  war against the rebels encompasses  the participation of the local people and the tactics crafted by government
This unfolds as president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud toured the recently liberated district of Aadan Yabaal and hailed the Somali National Army for the significant progress in the fight against Al-Shabab.
While addressing the local authorities and the residents of Aadan Yabaal district the head of the state underscored his administration’s commitment to stabilization and essential public services.
