Somali President Sheik Sharif Sheik Ahmed gestures during a meeting with traditional elders and leaders in Balad town, Middle Shabelle region approx. 40km north east of the capital Mogadishu 01 August, 2012. Balad was until recently, under the control of the Al-Qaeda-affliated terrorist group Al Shabaab until an offensive by the Somali National Army (SNA) supported by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces on 26 June drove out the extremists, liberating the town and its people, and bringing the area under the control of the UN and internationally-backed Transitional Federal Government (TFG) whose mandate expires on 20 August. AU-UN IST PHOTO / STUART PRICE.