1,000 Ethiopia troops to fight Al-Shabaab in Somalia

Ethiopian soldiers, wearing African Union berets, ready themselves for departure in Somalia [AMISOM Public Information/Flickr]

Ethiopia sent a new batch of fighters to Somalia to battle Al-Shabaab yesterday, Garowe Online reported.

Some 1,000 troops crossed the Ethiopia-Somalia border in the Gedo region, southern Somalia. The Somali national army, alongside Ethiopian forces, are preparing for a major offensive against Al-Shabaab’s stronghold in the Lower Shebelle region. This comes off the back of the brutal truck bomb attack in Mogadishu which killed more than 300 people.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The United States has already increased its military presence in support of Somalia by executing drone strikes at a frequent rate.

Al-Shabaab’s latest attack on a hotel in Mogadishu killed 29 people last week.

Since 2012, Al-Shabaab pledged allegiance to Al-Qaeda, triggering brutal attacks on the civilian population across Somalia and Ethiopia.

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