Somalia requests withdrawal postponement of African Union force

The Somali government has requested the United Nations Security Council, in a letter, to postpone the withdrawal of the African Union force from the violence-ridden country for a period of three months after experiencing "significant setbacks" during the war against the extremist group Al-Shabaab.

The letter, as reported by AFP, outlines Somalia's request to the United Nations to delay the second phase of the troop withdrawal plan by 90 days, which requires the departure of three thousand soldiers by the end of September.