U.K. troops arrive in Somalia on U.N. mission

A team of 10 British troops arrived in Somalia on Monday to join the country’s fight against Islamist militants. The British troops, who are a part of a U.N. peacekeeping mission, will soon be reinforced with additional forces to bolster the African Union’s efforts against the al-Shabab group, which has been battling with the government for control over the country.

Al-Shabab, comprising 7,000 to 9,000 fighters, has been involved in a wave of attacks across Somalia and remains a major threat to regional security and stability. On the occasion, U.K.’s Defense Secretary Michael Fallon praised the flexibility and global reach of his armed forces and highlighted the country’s resolve to weed out terrorism “wherever it rears its head”, writes the BBC. The deployment of British troops in Somalia comes after U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron had pledged assistance in ending the “world’s most destabilizing conflicts” at the U.N. in New York in September.

The U.K. will also be sending troops to South Sudan, which is ravaged by inter-tribal conflicts that have led to severe food shortage, eventually forcing thousands out of their homes, reports The Guardian. British troops are already participating in Iraq, Syria and Nigeria to alleviate humanitarian and security issues.