Somalia: Authorities Request UN To Delay Withdrawal Of AU Forces

Somalia authorities are requesting the United Nations for a postponement of the departure of African Union peacekeeping personnel from the nation.

The nation has requested that the next phase of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) troops' departure be postponed by three months.

In a letter to the UN, Hussein Sheikh-Ali, Somalia's national security adviser, requested a technical suspension in the withdrawal of the 3,000 ATMIS uniformed members for three months, according to AFP.

In the second stage of the pullout, a total of 3,000 soldiers from the 17,000-person force were scheduled to depart by the end of the month.

However, the Somali government claims it is suffering from "significant setbacks" in its fight against al-Shabab terrorists.

The ATMIS force has been ordered to depart entirely by the end of the year and fully turn over security operations to Somalia's national forces, according to UN resolutions.

In June, the army started to gradually reduce its personnel strength in Somalia