Dozens of Al-Shabaab militants killed in Somalia, government says
Somali forces killed 12 Al-Shabaab fighters in central Somalia and another 35 Islamists were killed by the army in a southwestern area
17 April 2025 - 12:34
by George Obulutsa
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Members of Somali special police forces march, after being trained and equipped by the European Union, in a collaboration that aims to enhance safety and strengthen the fight against threat posed by Al-Shabaab militants, at the Halane Training Facility in Mogadishu, Somalia on April 14 2025. File Picture: REUTERS/Feisal Omar
Mogadishu, Somalia — An airstrike by Somali forces killed 12 Al-Shabaab militants in central Somalia and another 35 Islamists were killed by the army in a southwestern area as they tried to attack a military base there, the government said on Thursday.
The air strike carried out late on Wednesday came hours after fighters from the Al-Qaeda-linked group that has been waging an insurgency since 2007 attacked a strategic town in the area.
Al-Shabaab, which wants to seize power and rule based on its own strict interpretation of Islamic law, briefly captured villages within 50km of Mogadishu last month, raising fears among residents of the capital that the city could be targeted.
Several senior Al-Shabaab fighters were among those killed in the air strike carried out by Somali forces and the US Africa Command (Africom) in the central Adan Yabaal district, Somalia's government said.
“The targeted strike hit a site used by the militants as a gathering and hideout ... Importantly there were not civilian casualties,” the information ministry said in a statement on X.
In a separate incident on Thursday, the national army killed at least 35 fighters near the city of Baidoa, the ministry said.
Heavy fighting broke out on Wednesday in the town of Adan Yabaal, which lies about 245km north of Mogadishu and has been used as an operating base for raids on Al-Shabaab.
The outcome of the battle was not immediately clear, with government forces and Al-Shabaab giving conflicting accounts of who was in control of the town.
Al-Shabaab said its forces had overrun 10 military installations during Wednesday's fighting.
Somali forces have recaptured the villages briefly seized last month, but Al-Shabaab has continued to advance in the countryside, leading the government to deploy police and prison guards to support the military, soldiers have told Reuters.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Dozens of Al-Shabaab militants killed in Somalia, government says
Somali forces killed 12 Al-Shabaab fighters in central Somalia and another 35 Islamists were killed by the army in a southwestern area
Mogadishu, Somalia — An airstrike by Somali forces killed 12 Al-Shabaab militants in central Somalia and another 35 Islamists were killed by the army in a southwestern area as they tried to attack a military base there, the government said on Thursday.
The air strike carried out late on Wednesday came hours after fighters from the Al-Qaeda-linked group that has been waging an insurgency since 2007 attacked a strategic town in the area.
Al-Shabaab, which wants to seize power and rule based on its own strict interpretation of Islamic law, briefly captured villages within 50km of Mogadishu last month, raising fears among residents of the capital that the city could be targeted.
Several senior Al-Shabaab fighters were among those killed in the air strike carried out by Somali forces and the US Africa Command (Africom) in the central Adan Yabaal district, Somalia's government said.
“The targeted strike hit a site used by the militants as a gathering and hideout ... Importantly there were not civilian casualties,” the information ministry said in a statement on X.
In a separate incident on Thursday, the national army killed at least 35 fighters near the city of Baidoa, the ministry said.
Heavy fighting broke out on Wednesday in the town of Adan Yabaal, which lies about 245km north of Mogadishu and has been used as an operating base for raids on Al-Shabaab.
The outcome of the battle was not immediately clear, with government forces and Al-Shabaab giving conflicting accounts of who was in control of the town.
Al-Shabaab said its forces had overrun 10 military installations during Wednesday's fighting.
Somali forces have recaptured the villages briefly seized last month, but Al-Shabaab has continued to advance in the countryside, leading the government to deploy police and prison guards to support the military, soldiers have told Reuters.
Reuters
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