Somalia: Four UAE soldiers and a Bahraini officer killed in an attack
Featured image: Masses showing their support to the Al-Shabab. Source: Newsweek
The United Arab Emirates announced that three of its soldiers and a Bahraini military officer were killed in an attack against the military base of General Gordon in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on the 10th of February. Initially it was said that in addition to this, two soldiers were injured and later it was reported that one of the injured had died. Among the dead UAE troops was Staff Colonel Mohamed Mubarak Al Mansouri. The attack was claimed by the armed group Al-Shabab, which is waging armed struggle against the Somali government.
In Somalia various imperialist efforts to ”stabilize” the country take place. The killed soldiers were part of UAE troops which train soldiers of the Somali armed forces at the General Gordon camp to combat the armed struggle of the Al-Shabab on behalf of mainly Yankee imperialism. The UAE military has been operating in Somalia already for decades. Other than the UAE, the Somalian armed forces receive military support and training directly from the US as well as its lackeys such as Turkey. There is also a UN-supported “peace keeping” mission of the African Union in the country, but this is slowly retreating and handing over the responsibility to the Somalian armed forces. We have earlier reported on the action of the Al-Shabab against this operation. In an analysis by an US think tank it is described that the presence of UAE troops is important for the US interests in the Horn of Africa, to which the Al-Shabab represents a great danger, as the US itself has admitted.
The UAE as well as various Arab States, such as Egypt, have condemned the attack and called for more international efforts to fight against ”terrorism”, revealing their true nature as the lackeys of US imperialism despite big talks.
Despite all efforts of the imperialists and their lackeys, the Al-Shabab continues to control large parts of Somalia and has steady support of the masses in these areas. In 2022, the organization was forced to retreat in some areas by the forces of the Somali government, but it has been able to launch a counteroffensive, intensifying actions against military bases.
