MOGADISHU
The Somali government has given the members of the Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab militant group 45 days to surrender and renounce violence.
"The government has given Al-Shabaab 45 days to surrender and return to their homes and families," National Security Minister Khalif Ereg said following a cabinet meeting late on Tuesday.
"The government is committed to rehabilitating militants who surrender during this period and working with them to build a new future for them," he added.
The minister said those who insist to continue fighting would be presented to the court of law.
The government has also called on local preachers and clerics to enlighten Somalis against extremist ideology and its repercussions on the future of Somalia.
Formed in 2004, Al-Shabaab has been battling the government for control over a territory in many of Somalia's regions.
The Somali government and African troops have launched a massive military operation – codenamed "Operation Indian Ocean" – against Al-Shabaab.
The offensive has seen the militant group lose most of its strongholds, except for the port of Barawe.
The port is believed to be Al-Shabaab's main source of revenue, generating millions of dollars from the illegal sale of charcoal to the Middle East.
Somalia, a long-troubled country in the Horn of Africa, has remained in the grip of on-again, off-again violence since the outbreak of civil war in 1991.
By Nour Geidi
englishnews@aa.com.tr
www.aa.com.tr/en/world
