Civilians gather on a street after clashes between Somalia’s federal troops and armed opposition groups in Baidoa, Somalia, August 17, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Baidoa (AX) — Nearly 30 Al-Shabaab fighters were killed after an assault on Baidoa, Somalia’s federal government said Monday, as a deepening dispute with forces loyal to former Southwest President Abdiaziz Mohamed Laftagareen pushed the city into renewed violence.
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The Ministry of Defense said the Somali National Army mounted an operation after armed fighters attacked a military position in Baidoa at around 5 a.m.
According to the ministry, the attackers included Al-Shabaab militants and fighters allied with Laftagareen. Government troops repelled the offensive, preventing the assailants from seizing military positions or undermining security across the city.
The ministry reported that nearly 30 Al-Shabaab fighters had been killed, but offered no identities for those reported dead and presented no evidence to substantiate the figure.
The announcement followed reports from residents and a Somali army officer that forces loyal to Laftagareen had moved into Baidoa earlier Monday. Videos shared online appeared to show armed men and military vehicles operating in several parts of the city.
Laftagareen’s supporters disputed the federal government’s description of the fighters as Al-Shabaab. In a Facebook post, Hassan Mohamed, a spokesperson for Laftagareen, said forces backing the former president had taken Baidoa and urged federal troops to surrender. The assertion could not be independently verified.
The sharply conflicting accounts underscore the worsening political and security confrontation between Mogadishu and Laftagareen, who insists that he remains the legitimate leader of Southwest state.
Federal troops have held Baidoa since March, when they captured key positions in the city. The operation led Laftagareen to resign and cut ties with the federal government in Mogadishu.
Laftagareen governed Southwest state for more than seven years before tensions with the federal authorities escalated over constitutional changes being pursued by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
His backers have accused the federal government of forcibly imposing control over Southwest state and have demanded that the territory be recaptured.
Located about 245 kilometers (150 miles) northwest of Mogadishu, Baidoa is among Somalia’s largest population centers. It shelters significant numbers of people displaced by conflict and climate-related disasters and hosts international humanitarian agencies as well as peacekeeping personnel.
