The AU Special Representative to Somalia and Head of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), Ambassador Mohamed El-Amine Souef and Somalia’s Federal Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Daud Aweis, have expressed satisfaction with the ongoing military offensive against Al-Shabaab.
The officials spoke during a joint press conference on Wednesday held at the ATMIS Mission Headquarters to brief the media on the implementation of ATMIS mandate and the progress made in restoring peace and security in Somalia.
Minister Daud announced that the Federal Parliament had already passed a National Act establishing the National Intelligence Security Agency (NISA) that will improve intelligence gathering and play a key role in the fight against Al-Shabaab.
In addition, he added, the Somali cabinet had approved a military cooperation deal between the Federal Republic of Somalia and the United Arab Emirates which will allow thousands of Somali troops to be trained in the Middle Eastern country.