(Mogadishu 20th January, 2012) Late last night, the Somali Armed Forces, and their brothers from AMISOM, the African Union peace keeping force, started a broad offensive intended to clear, once and for all, the Al-Qaida linked terrorists from the few pockets in the outskirts of Mogadishu, which were still in their hands.
The Al-Shabaab terrorists have been flushed out of their hiding places north of the Industrial Road. In a statement to the Somali National News Agency (SONNA) Col. Abdullahi Ali Anood of the Somali army's 2nd Brigade said, “Our multi-fronted offensive started late last night and our forces are now in control of Mogadishu University and Barakaat cemetery, and the terrorists have already fled from the nearby daynile distract ”
“Our forces are now heading towards the strategic Basra Road, roughly 15 km North of Mogadishu, which links the 2 towns of Bal’ad and Afgoye, North and South of Mogadishu respectively."
In separate statement the Acting Minister of Information, H.E. Abdullahi Bile Noor, Condemned yesterday’s Al-shabab action, which killed 2 IDP's, in an explosion inside the American Embassy compound where the IDP's were being cared for.
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