Mr. Mustafa, however, warns that Al-Shabab could make attempts again in the South eastern Ethiopia and that security operations need to continue
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Mustafa Mohammed, president of the Somali regional state of Ethiopia, on Thursday, said that Al-Shabab is vanquished in a way that it will no longer pose a security threat.
“Al-Shabab has attempted to launch an attack on the border areas in the Somali region. However, joint operations from Defense Force and regional security forces have completely foiled the terrorist group’s plot,” Ethiopian News Agency cited Mustafa Mohammed as saying.
According to Mr. Mustafa, the composition of the terrorist group is different from the one it had before. It was on a mission to form Mujajidin by coordinating with “Shane” [militant wing of Oromo Nationalist Group] to destabilise the Horn of Africa.
“Although the group is defeated,” he warned, ” it is not advisable to be lax.” He said rigorous security work will continue to make sure that the group is not making incursions again.
The group attempted to operate in the part of the region where there is oil and was aiming to use the Afder zone as a springboard to enter interior Ethiopia, it was said.
Some sources say that Al-Shabab fighters made incursions up to 150 kilometres deep in the country from the Somali region.
Last week, the government announced that the group was planning to enter to the Oromo region of Ethiopia with the aim to collaborate, militarily, with what the Ethiopian government calls “Shene” – a group that the Ethiopian parliament designated as a terrorist.
The Ethiopian Defense Force understood the latest Al-Shabab attempt, as disclosed by Major General Tesfaye, “Ethiopia’s enemies’ new attempt after decisive defeat in the North and Western parts of Ethiopia.”
According to reports from Ethiopian government sources, more than 200 Al-Shabab forces were wiped out in two different locations, last week, during the operation in the region.
Government is warning against info war on social media with the aim to make Al-Shabab appear more powerful.
In the past two years, Ethiopian Intelligence has made several arrests of Al-Shabab operatives in different parts of Ethiopia.
Apart from arrests, there were influxes of attempts to smuggle firearms including heavy weaponry.
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