ATMIS police officers hone skills to counter explosive devices at checkpoints

MOGADISHU, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) said its 19 police officers have wrapped up intense United Nations-backed training on vehicle checkpoint screening to boost regional security.
ATMIS said the six-day training organized by the UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) that was held in the Hiran region of central Somalia was also aimed at countering the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to civilians and critical infrastructure.
“This training was insightful because it depicted the true picture of what is required of us as police officers when performing vehicle checkpoint procedures, both theoretical and practical,” said Moffat Chungu, team leader of ATMIS Individual Police Officers in Beledweyne, in a statement issued Saturday evening.
Chungu stated that the training, which took place in the central Somalian town of Beledweyne, was crucial to the war against terrorism. The nation has been battling al-Shabab’s insurgency for almost 20 years.
According to ATMIS, explosive devices are the preferred weapons of choice for the al-Shabab fighters who target the AU mission’s convoys, Somali security forces and civilians traveling along the main supply routes.
The indiscriminate use of explosive devices poses a significant threat to both civilians and security forces, ATMIS said.
ATMIS is thus developing the capacity of the Somali Security Forces to detect and deter the use of IEDs by illegal armed groups.
UNMAS is a key partner to ATMIS and has over the years worked consistently to strengthen the capacity of both ATMIS and Somali security forces to effectively identify and disarm IEDs.
These efforts have been crucial in mitigating the impact of IEDs laid by al-Shabab militants, which have historically led to substantial civilian casualties and severe disruptions to the movement of people and goods. ■