Hi MOGADISHU – Somali officials said on Monday that a senior commando officer wounded in an attack by gunmen in southern Somalia last week had died of his wounds.
Abdiaziz Samir, the Chief of Operations of the US-trained elite commando force, Danab has succumbed to injuries at a hospital in Mogadishu after he was seriously wounded in a recent attack by Al Shabaab.
Samir, an active officer was one of several officers who received an intensive specialized training in the United States under the US Africa Command’s training program, which aims to build the capacity of partner nations’ security forces in Africa.
Danab is a US-trained Somali elite force that has been instrumental in the fight against the Al Qaeda- linked Al Shabaab militant group in Somalia.
The force has been credited with several successful operations against the group, including the capture of key towns and the killing of top commanders.
According to reports, Samir had sustained serious wounds on Wednesday last week after Al Shabaab militants ambushed a convoy of Danab troops near the town of Janaale, a town in Lower Shabelle region.
As a result, Samir and several other officers were seriously injured in the attack and were immediately airlifted to a hospital in Mogadishu for treatment.
Despite receiving medical attention, Samir passed away on Friday due to the severity of his injuries, his colleagues said.
His death has been widely mourned by the Somali government and the US Embassy in Mogadishu, which released a statement extending their condolences to his family and colleagues.
Senior military officials have paid tribute to Samir who was a highly respected officer within the Danab force and played a crucial role in the fight against Al Shabaab.
The death of Abdiaziz Samir is a reminder of the sacrifices made by the Somali security forces in this ongoing fight against Al-Shabaab which is fighting to overthrow the government.
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