• + Comment now
• Print
• Email
• Tweet
• Reset

The base for a rapid response police unit that works with the military to fight terrorism and provide high-level security to officials in Somalia re-opened in Mogadishu's Wardhigley district last week.

The Darawish unit was originally formed by former president General Mohamed Siad Barre in the early 1970s as a national military police force; it ceased operations during the civil war and ensuing conflicts of the past two decades.

Reconstruction and maintenance of the old base in the Agadhiig neighbourhood were recently completed, and it officially re-opened on July 26th.

Somali President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, Minister of State for the Ministry of Interior and National Security Abdi Ahmed Ali, Commissioner of the Somali Police Force Sharif Sheikhuna Maye, as well as police commanders, the national musical band and members of the Darawish attended the opening ceremony.

Speaking to members of the Darawish, the president said, "Your job is to provide security, to protect of officials and fight terrorism. You have to play a big role in the areas liberated from al-Shabaab and provide services for the local residents."

"The police have to take control of this unit as they are responsible for overseeing security instructions and making sure they are implemented according to the rules and regulations," Ahmed said.

Ali said his ministry was prepared to raise the level of the Darawish through training from developed countries. He said the re-opening of the Darawish base will play an important role in the success of the joint operations between the police and intelligence services.

Defence strategist Farhia Faarah Iidle said former al-Shabaab members defected from the group and joined the Darawish to help the intelligence services hunt down remnants of the al-Qaeda-affiliated group and foreign fighters in Somalia.

Iidle said the Darawish are on a mission to target terrorist hideouts and their supply centres with the aim of inflicting heavy losses among the ranks of al-Shabaab remaining in the central and southern of Somalia.

The new Darawish force is also comprised of members of the former Islamic Courts Union who have been rehabilitated and integrated into the police after completing training courses in Kenya, Uganda, Djibouti and Turkey, according to Mogadishu-based political analyst Mohamed Aadan.

Aadan told Sabahi that the transitional government provided social rehabilitation for former Islamic Courts members, as well as military training intended to integrate them into the Darawish section of the police force. He said these former militiamen have firsthand knowledge about al-Shabaab members and their sympathisers.

"The new Darawish force is better informed than the other forces when it comes to identifying the faces and uncovering facts about the al-Shabaab fighters," he said.

Police Commissioner Maye said that re-opening the base after 21 years is a source of great joy for members of the Darawish unit, who had previously been based in temporary lodgings in damaged buildings.

He said the Darawish operations will be co-ordinated to achieve on-the-ground progress and put an end to the violence and terrorism ignited by the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab group.

"Five years ago, I was a militant for the Islamic Courts militias, but I voluntarily joined the local police force in April 2009 until the re-establishment of the Darawish was announced," Abdiqadir Haji Hassan, a soldier in the Darawish police unit, told Sabahi. He confirmed that former militia members in the Darawish force have been rehabilitated by allied nations.

"I man a key checkpoint in Mogadishu, the X Control Afgoye, which inspects all cars, trucks and even individuals in an attempt to secure the capital," Hassan said. "With God's grace, we have been successful."