Violence-wracked Somalia is seeking a three-month delay in the planned draw down of African Union troops after suffering “several significant setbacks” in its fight against Al-Shabaab militants, according to a government letter seen by
Somalia’s national security adviser wrote to the United Nations requesting a 90-day delay in the second phase of a pullout that provides for the departure of 3,000 troops by the end of September, according to the letter.
“The Federal Government of Somalia formally requests a technical pause in the draw down of the 3,000 African Union Transition in Somalia (ATMIS) uniformed personnel by three months,” it said.
UN resolutions call for the ATMIS force to be reduced to zero by the end of next year, putting security fully in the hands of the national army and police in the troubled Horn of Africa nation.
