Mogadishu, 6 March 2025 – Sixteen military and police personnel serving with the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) on Thursday completed a five-day training to enhance their intelligence gathering skills to combating terrorism.
The training facilitated by the United Kingdom Mission Support Team (UK-MST), covered a range of topics including threat evaluation, information management, intelligence decision-making and the intelligence cycle. Additional topics covered included data collection, operational record-keeping, Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) operations, international humanitarian law and intelligence reporting.
The UK-MST Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Charnock urged the participants to utilise the acquired knowledge for operational success of their respective contingents.
“It is fundamental that what you deliver within the intelligence sphere has been well thought through and is rigorous. Make good use of the knowledge you have acquired from this training to deliver the best service to your commanders,” said Lt. Col. Charnock.
AUSSOM Sector One Military Intelligence Officer, Major Frank Otafiire, said the specialised training will enhance the officers’ ability to provide effective support for successful frontline operations.
“Military intelligence is purely to provide timely, accurate, relevant information that supports military decision-making processes, and enables a commander to take appropriate action when he is fed information by competent and trained people who understand the operational environment and identify potential threats in their areas of operation,” said Major Otafiire.
The participants appreciated the importance of the specialised training in supporting AUSSOM’s mandate to degrade Al-Shabaab and contribute to Somalia’s stabilisation efforts.
“With this training, we will now be able plan our activities, our routes and gather relevant information well before going out to the field,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP)Marie Elizabeth Koroma, from Sierra Leone
Lieutenant Promise Muhereza from Uganda, another participant, said: “As an intelligence officer, I am going to use the skills acquired from this training to gather vital information on Al-Shabaab and any other information required by my commander to help him make his final decisions.’’
