The high-level talks come amid Al-Shabaab threat and devastating drought that affected half of the country's 15 million population.

Sector six Commander Brig Lukas Kuto said the soldiers remained mission ready and have been carrying out their duties with integrity, urging them to maintain the spirit of teamwork.

The commander of the 21st Division, General Hassan Jamici, who spoke to the local media, said that the detained elders were arrested and transferred to Dhusamareb for interrogation.

There were at least 1,518 civilian casualties -- 651 killed and 867 injured -- in terror attacks in Somalia in 2018, followed by 1,459 -- 591 killed and 868 injured -- in 2019, according to UN estimates.

These people, who are residents of Chabahar in southeast Iran on the Sea of Oman, had been captured by Al-Shabaab terrorist group in international waters near Somalia in 2014.

The first was on December 14, and AFRICOM said seven al-Shabaab militants were killed. The second strike came three days later and killed eight al-Shabaab militants.

And in the middle of the geopolitical fight is aggressive cancer which is the terror group al-Shabab. It's arguably even more dangerous because, thanks to a sustained offensive from the country’s new government, the militants’ backs are against the wall. 

UNICEF warned that as families are driven to the edge dealing with increased stress, children face a range of protection risks including child labor and child marriage.

Somalia is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. According to media watchdogs, journalists face risks including detentions, attacks, and threats.

Continuing, he added that at least 150 Al-Shabaab members were killed in the operation while 15 were captured alive. The spokesman said the dead include 5 foreign fighters.

The deadline was originally Dec. 31, 2022, decided by Resolution 2628 of March 2022, which reconfigured the AU Mission in Somalia into ATMIS.

Defense minister Abdiqadir Mohamed Nur, who spoke to the media, said that the soldiers will inject new blood into the ongoing war in the country, noting that they will join the liberation operations.