Somali and AU Forces Secure Awdheegle in Push to Root Out al‑Shabab
MOGADISHU — Somali National Army troops, backed by Ugandan contingents operating under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), announced on Saturday that they have taken full control of Awdheegle, a strategic town in the Lower Shabelle region, as part of a wider offensive aimed at dislodging al‑Shabab militants.
- Advertisement -
The operation, called “Silent Storm,” has been under way for days across swathes of the fertile Lower Shabelle, where farmers, traders and militants have long jostled for control of land and supply routes. In a short statement, Somalia’s Ministry of Defense said SNA and ATMIS forces “entered Awdheegle this morning” and had begun security-clearance operations inside the town.
What the capture means on the ground
Awdheegle sits roughly 90 kilometres southwest of Mogadishu along the Shabelle River basin, historically one of Somalia’s most productive agricultural belts and a corridor that al‑Shabab has exploited for movement and revenue. Control of the town gives government forces a potentially important foothold to protect supply lines and project security into surrounding villages that have seen intense fighting in recent weeks.
“This is a meaningful tactical gain,” said a Somali security analyst who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of ongoing operations. “Seizing town centres cuts off militant hinterlands and can reduce their ability to tax and extort rural communities. But holding them is a different challenge.”
Local residents, many of whom fled ahead of the fighting, described a tense dawn as troop convoys entered. “We heard heavy vehicles and people shouting; then they told us it was government forces,” said a man who identified himself as a displaced resident from a village on the outskirts of Awdheegle. “People are hopeful but also wary — al‑Shabab has come back before when soldiers moved on.”
Pattern of retake and resilience
The retaking of towns and villages has been a regular feature of Somalia’s decade‑long struggle with al‑Shabab, the al‑Qaida‑linked insurgent group that controls significant rural territory even as it has been squeezed from urban centres. Military offensives, often supported by international partners including the United States and the AU, can recapture terrain quickly — but securing long‑term gains requires governance, public services and protection for civilians.
Since 2011, international forces under AMISOM and now ATMIS have helped Somali forces push al‑Shabab out of many towns. Yet the group persists through guerrilla tactics, roadside bombs, assassinations and by embedding itself in remote communities. Al‑Shabab had not issued an immediate response to the reported loss of Awdheegle as of Saturday evening.
Humanitarian and governance concerns
Lower Shabelle is also a landscape of humanitarian fragility. Repeated cycles of conflict, drought and flooding have left communities vulnerable. Humanitarian agencies warn that even when towns are retaken, the absence of basic services — healthcare, schools, reliable policing — can allow insurgents to re‑entrench or breed new cycles of grievance.
“Military gains must be followed by a swift stabilization plan,” said a regional humanitarian worker in Mogadishu. “People need to see courts, schools, banks rebuilding fast, otherwise the vacuum will be filled by whoever offers protection or money — and that can be al‑Shabab again.”
Regional and international angles
Uganda’s contribution to ATMIS underlines the continued role East African states play in Somalia’s security. The African Union’s mission, successor to the older AMISOM force, has been transitioning responsibilities to Somali security institutions even as it continues to provide critical support in training, logistics and combat operations.
Globally, the fight in Somalia is linked to broader counterterrorism strategies: Western partners have provided airpower, intelligence and capacity building that help Somali forces take and hold territory. Yet donors and regional actors face a strategic dilemma — military pressure can degrade extremist capabilities, but without political inclusion and economic opportunity the underlying drivers of insurgency persist.
What comes next?
For residents of Awdheegle and nearby settlements, the immediate priorities are clearing explosive hazards, restoring essential services and enabling the safe return of displaced families. For Somali authorities and their partners, the harder questions are institutional: how to embed local governance, create reliable local policing, and rebuild trust after years of shifting control.
There is also the question of timing. ATMIS has been in a phased transition with the goal of transferring security responsibilities to Somalia’s own forces. As external forces draw down, will Somali institutions be ready to sustain these gains? Can economic and civic reconstruction keep pace with military advances?
Those questions are not unique to Somalia. Across regions emerging from insurgency, the test after victory is rarely the battle itself but what follows: who governs, who rebuilds, and whether communities feel safer in practice, not just in rhetoric.
As “Silent Storm” presses on, Awdheegle’s fate may offer an early barometer of whether the latest offensive will tip the strategic balance or add one more chapter to a familiar cycle of capture and comeback.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
