clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Somalia gets vehicles, equipment from the UK to tackle roadside bombs

October 22, 2021 at 2:45 pm

Medical workers and soldiers arrive at the scene of a bomb blast in Somalia on 10 July 2021 [AFP/Getty Images]

The war on terrorism in Somalia got a boost on Friday after the UK donated equipment and vehicles to the Somali army to combat roadside bombs in Somalia, Anadolu News Agency reports.

State-run Somalia National Television reported that the Somali army received vehicles and multi-skilled route search and IEDD (improvised explosive device disposal) equipment from the UK to detect and defuse roadside bombs.

The British Embassy in Mogadishu said: “Through our partnership with the Somali National Army, we are working towards a safer Somalia.”

In the past, African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the UN Mine Action Service and the British army held several meetings with partners to end the use of improvised explosive devices in Somalia, which have killed thousands of people.

READ: Suicide car bombing kills at least 7 in Somali capital

“IEDs remain a weapon of choice for terrorists who target AMISOM convoys, Somali security forces, and civilians travelling along the main supply routes. As a result, this hampers movement of people, goods and the delivery of humanitarian aid to communities in need,” AMISOM had said in a past summit in Somalia.

Al-Shabaab terrorists in Somalia often use IEDs, targeting civilians and security forces in the Horn of Africa country.