By Asha Elmi - Reporter
Mogadishu, 20 September 2026 Somalia's Defence Minister said Al-Shabaab would be unable to capture a single village even if African Union troops withdrew from the country.
Ahmed Moallim Fiqi said Somali forces and civilians were holding back the al Qaeda-linked group and would continue fighting it regardless of whether the African Union mission remained.
"Al-Shabaab cannot capture even a single village if AUSSOM leaves," Fiqi said.
He spoke at an awards ceremony organized by Five Magazine to recognize companies it described as Somalia's best-performing businesses of the year on Saturday.
Fiqi also criticized unnamed politicians who, he said, portrayed Somalia abroad as a collapsing and insecure country on the verge of being overrun by Al-Shabaab.
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He accused them of overlooking progress made by Somali forces and undermining confidence among people working to improve the country. He did not identify the politicians.
His comments come amid uncertainty over AUSSOM's future and the financing of United Nations logistical support for the mission.
The United States has given the United Nations another year to gradually wind down its support for African Union forces in Somalia, though no confirmed alternative financing arrangement has been announced.
AUSSOM, formally known as the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, supports Somali forces in their campaign against Al-Shabaab, protects key installations and helps secure areas recovered from the group.
Al-Shabaab continues to carry out attacks in parts of Somalia despite sustained military operations by Somali and African Union forces.