The Somali government has written to the UN Security Council requesting a 90-day pushback in the second phase of the withdrawal of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
"The Federal Government of Somalia formally requests a technical pause in the drawdown of the 3,000 African Union Transition in Somalia uniformed personnel by three months," the letter circulated by the media said.
The government explained the request by pointing to the current security risk and that although Somali troops have managed to "re-liberate towns, villages and critical supply routes" since the start of the large-scale offensive, they have reportedly suffered several significant setbacks in the Galguduud region (central Somalia), and have retreated from a number of towns since August.
"This unforeseen turn of events has stretched our military forces thin, exposed vulnerabilities in our frontlines and necessitated a thorough reorganization to ensure we maintain our momentum in countering the al-Shabaab threat," the letter said.
In order to achieve that goal, as the government noted, Somali troops "need a respite," as well as to address logistical concerns and resource constraints. According to the letter, as the Somali National Armed Forces takes on more responsibilities with the withdrawal of the peacekeeping contingent, it requires more logistical support, which is still lacking for the internal troops.
"The technical pause we earnestly request will grant us the indispensable time needed to implement these adjustments effectively and comprehensively," the government stressed.
In accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2670, which mandates the mission to hand over security responsibilities in agreed areas to Somali security forces, ATMIS completed the first phase of cutting down its presence in Somalia by the end of this June, withdrawing 2,000 peacekeepers and handing over six bases to Somali forces.
ATMIS was due to have pulled out another 3,000 troops by th end of September.
Prior to the drawdown, ATMIS had about 20,000 troops recruited from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.
The Somalia-based radical Islamist group al-Shabaab has close ties to the international terrorist organization al-Qaeda*. It is waging an armed insurgency against Somalia's central government and is also active in neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia.
* al-Shabaab, al-Qaeda and Daesh (ISIL/ ISIS/ IS) are terrorist groups banned in Russia and many other countries