According to Lt. Col. Ankunda, the spokesman for African Union (AU) troops in Somalia, an additional 3,000 troops are expected to be dispatched to the nation within 6 months, bringing the overall force to around 12,000.

The current occupation force is mostly from Uganda, with some additional troops from Burundi. The new troops are expected to come from Djibouti and Sierra Leone. They say the additional troops will enable them to seize control of the rest of Mogadishu.

The moves deeper into the capital are made considerably easier because the al-Shabaab militants, faced with a rising famine nationwide, has abandoned the capital city almost entirely.

The new troops will include a battalion of fighters from each of the two nations, as well as trainers from Djibouti aimed at increasing the capabilities of the heavily armed but largely untrained Somali government troops.

Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz

• Centrifuge Glitch Fuels Latest Iran Scare Stories - May 25th, 2012
• Iraq MPs Push Return to Saddam-Era Conscription Laws - May 25th, 2012
• US Negotiator on Iran to 'Reaffirm Our Unshakeable Commitment to Israel' - May 25th, 2012
• UN: Syria Bombings Likely by 'Established Terrorist Groups' - May 25th, 2012
• Military to Avoid Embarrassing Pictures by Banning Photography - May 25th, 2012