Mogadishu (Halbeeg News) – Three-day conference of Somali scholars focusing on countering extremist ideology has entered its second day. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Monday presided over the opening ceremony for the conference.
President Mohamud said that the religious clerics are instrumental in his plans to defeat the al-Shabaab group.
“I have opened the National Somali Religious Scholars Conference ln Mogadishu today. This historic vital Summit brought together reputable Somali scholars drawn from within and outside Somalia to discuss countering the fraudulent extremist ideology”, President Hassan said yesterday after opening the four-day meeting for the Somali religious scholars. “The Fraudulent narrative of the terrorists has poisoned the minds of some of our people and we shall work with our scholars to liberate them.”,
The government has mounted ideological warfare against al-Shabab and has sought the support of clerics to counter extremist narratives.
Since last July, the government forces backed by locals had intensified operations to liberate towns and villages from al-Shabaab fighters in central Somalia.
The allied forces liberated dozens of towns including Harardhere and Galcad.
The government said it is also waging financial warfare against the group.
The government closed 250 bank accounts and 7 mobile money accounts suspected to be linked to al-Shabab. This move, the government said, denied the group money to fund its operations.
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