MOGADISHU, June 7 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has stepped up security in the Somali capital Mogadishu during the month of Ramadan.
AMISOM Police Commissioner, Francis Ayitey Aryee, said more security officers had been deployed to Mogadishu, which has suffered waves of attacks by Al-Shabaab militants.
"Experience has shown that in the month of Ramadan, whereas our brothers and sisters engage in communing with Allah through fasting and prayers, threats against them are heightened," Aryee said in a press release issued by AMISOM.
Aryee said the officers will be stationed in key locations in the city and work with the Somali police to prevent Al-Shabaab attacks.
Apart from routine patrols, the officers will set up check points and, depending on intelligence, take part in cordon and search operations.
AMISOM forces have been helping the Somali government battle Islamist group Al-Shabaab. The militants have been driven to rural areas in southern Somalia, but still stage periodic attacks in the country.
