Mogadishu-January 15, 2023

Editing by Kara-Anna

Seeking to put pressure on Al-Shabaab from all angles,

including Malian, the Somali government announced a "popular uprising", in an offensive described as the most significant against the extremist group al-Shabaab in more than a decade. This time, Somali militants are in the lead, supported by US and African Union troops.

In what is being called an "all-out war" by the government of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud elected in May, all over the Horn of Africa country is being encouraged to stand up to the youth extremists who have long been embedded in Somali society, exploiting clan divisions and extorting millions of dollars a year from businesses and farmers in their quest to impose an Islamic caliphate.

Thousands of al-Shabaab fighters have hampered the country's recovery from decades of conflict by carrying out brazen attacks in the capital Mogadishu and elsewhere. Over the years, countries from Turkey to China to EU countries have invested in military training and other forms of support to combat terrorism.

"We applaud the success that Somali security forces have achieved in their historic battle to liberate Somali communities suffering under al-Shabaab,"said U.S. ambassador Larry Andre.

"They are rented like houses, they tell you that their animals are being taken without permission,"said General Abdulrahman Mohamed toryari, a former director of the Somali National Intelligence Agency who is leading the offensive against al-Shabaab in the central Shabelle region. "Even a child born tonight will be asked to pay.”

Residents also described al-Shabaab as forcing sons to become suicide bombers and killing people at will.

Now Kenya is stepping up security along the border to find fleeing extremists , and this month the United States announced multimillion-dollar rewards for al-Shabaab leaders accused of major attacks.

Under pressure, al-Shabaab lashed out, killing at least 120 people at a busy intersection in Mogadishu in October.

But for Somalis who have long been separated from their loved ones by extremists, there is hope.