Mogadishu. The United States has said it will prevent the United Nations from supporting an African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia starting next year, two documents showed, in a move that officials said is likely to end its operations.
The nearly 12,000-strong AU mission props up the fragile government in Mogadishu, helping it push back al Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militants, whose previous offensives have brought them within striking distance of the capital and who control large swaths of the countryside in southern and central Somalia.
However, the mission, known as the AU Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), relies heavily on UN support for essential logistics such as food, water, fuel, medical services and transportation of troops.
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