KISMAYO– U.S. Special Operations Commander, General Claude Tudor Jr., visited Kismayo, and held a meeting with Jubaland President, Mr. Ahmed Madobe, in order to discuss the military operations against the militant Al-Shabab group. During the meeting, the two sides discussed the cooperation between Jubaland security forces and U.S. military officers, which is part of a broader plans which are aimed to bolster the stability and the security development in the region, said a statement released by Jubaland. The press statement said that the meeting focused on ways to strengthen the security cooperation, speeding up on the collaboration on the fight against Al-shabab, and the support of the operations in order to ensure the stability in the settlements in Jubaland. The visit comes while U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), recently carried out an airstrike in the vicinity of Harbole, which lies 75 km north-west of Kismayo, targeting Al-Shabab members in order to degrage their capability and diminish their attacks on civilians and security posts. Jubaland Minister of internal security, Mr. Yusuf Hussein Osman, was in attendance in the meeting. It is expected that the cooperation plans will include trainings and technical support in order to strengthen the operational capability of Jubaland’s internal security.
