Baidoa, Southwest – Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen held a high-level security council meeting on Saturday in Baidoa, pressing senior officials to escalate counterterrorism efforts and enhance coordination within the region’s security forces.
The private session gathered military commanders, intelligence officers, police leaders, and regional administrators amid efforts to diminish Al-Shabaab’s presence in Bay, Bakool, and Lower Shabelle regions, which have witnessed government progress alongside ongoing militant operations.
Laftagareen urged increased vigilance, cautioning that Al-Shabaab persists as “a serious and adaptive threat” despite continuous actions by federal and regional forces. He highlighted the need for better inter-agency communication, swift information exchange, and integrated command structures to avert militant assaults and safeguard reclaimed territories.
“We must sustain pressure on the enemy, seal their movement paths, and shield our communities,” Laftagareen stated to officials, according to attendees.
The Southwest leader emphasized community collaboration, calling on elders, youth groups, and civil society to assist security forces by reporting suspicious behavior and countering Al-Shabaab coercion.
Security units have ramped up operations in rural parts of Bay and Bakool, where Al-Shabaab retains strongholds. In Lower Shabelle, combined forces from the Southwest administration and Somali National Army (SNA) have struck militant bases and supply lines recently.
Laftagareen commended the “courage and sacrifice” of soldiers active on multiple fronts, renewing his administration’s pledge to stabilize liberated zones and deliver vital services to areas escaping militant dominance.
The session arrives amid a key transition, as Somalia assumes greater security roles following the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) withdrawal. Observers note that regional entities like Southwest State will bear more direct responsibilities in combating the insurgency.
