The UN Security Council on Tuesday adopted a measure extending authorisation for the African Union-led force in Somalia through 2026.

The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission (AUSSOM) is deployed in the Horn of Africa country to back Somali security forces and combat Al Shabab terrorists.

It replaced a previous "transition" mission in January, which itself was a transformation of an African Union force initially launched in 2007.

In August, Somalia's armed forces and AUSSOM recaptured the strategic town of Bariire, home to a military base and located around 100 kilometers west of the capital Mogadishu.

Underfunding

The resolution adopted on Tuesday maintains the AUSSOM's maximum number of uniformed personnel at 11,826, including 680 police officers.

It also expresses the Council's "concern at the ongoing chronic underfunding of AUSSOM."

The United States abstained from the vote, which all 14 other Council members supported.