MOSCOW (Sputnik) – According to the BBC, the advance party will support African Union peacekeeping efforts against the group.
Eventually, the number of British personnel in the country will stand at around 70, with servicemen carrying out medical, logistical and engineering duties.
As many as 300 soldiers will also be deployed in South Sudan, the British broadcaster reported.
In September, UK Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to double the numbers of UK troops in peacekeeping missions.
Somalia has been wracked by instability and violence since the country devolved into civil war in the early 1990s. The state’s collapse provided a breeding ground for warlords, pirates and the al-Qaeda affiliated al-Shabaab terrorist group.
Al-Shabaab has been staging numerous attacks in Somalia in an attempt to create an Islamic state ruled by strict Sharia law.
