African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the Somali National Army (SNA) have set up joint operations center in Mogadishu to boost ongoing stabilisation efforts in the country.
The AU mission said in a statement on Thursday that the Joint Operations Coordination Center, which was jointly operated by AU and SNA military officers, would enhance joint planning and coordination of military operations against al-Shabab.
Odowaa Yusuf Rageh, SNA Chief of Defense Forces, reiterated SNA’s commitment and emphasised the importance of collaboration between SNA and AMISOM, in running the centers established across the mission’s areas of responsibility.
The latest center is one of six centers recently established across the country to boost stabilisation efforts.
William Kitsao Shume, Deputy Force Commander of AMISOM in charge of operations and plans, said the initiation of the center was an important milestone in achieving a shared goal of having fully operational centers across the country.
“We will be jointly planning, coordinating and synchronising current and future operations together.
“ Therefore, we will be able to optimise the utilisation of combat support and combat service support together as we plan for our operations,” he said.
Don Nabasa, AMISOM Sector One Commander, said the establishment of the center and several others across the country, would help address some of the challenges faced by both forces.
The center is composed of various cells from administration, intelligence, operations, logistics to communications and civil-military coordination.
It would enable the allied forces to get a clearer common understanding of the threat situation and enhance operational effectiveness and collaboration. (Xinhua/NAN)
