“Somali army inflicts bewildering blow on al-Shabab, neutralizing 30 fighters in disrupted assault!”

On Tuesday May 30, 2023, something quite astonishing happened in Mogadishu (AX). The Somali government took down at least 30 al Shabab militants in an attempt to attack a military base in central Somalia. The government went on to specify that the Somali National Army (SNA), backed by local clan militia forces, thwarted the attack in the Masagawa area of the Galgaduud region. The administration was well-informed about the plan, hence they were sufficiently prepared to counter the attack.

The press release released by the Ministry of Information, Culture, and Tourism confirmed that the government forces got hold of three cars belonging to al-Shabaab, which the group intended to use for the attack.

To blow one’s mind even more, is the fact that a couple of days before the attack, al-Shabaab carried out a brutal attack on an African Union military base in the Lower Shabelle region of Somalia that left both parties with heavy casualties. The militant fighters attacked a forward operating base in Buulo Mareer, approximately 120 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu, according to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

The attackers used Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices and suicide bombers, according to the African Union. Al-Shabaab has been one of the main threats in the Horn of Africa country, and Somalia has been grappling with increasing insecurity for years. The terrorist group has been on a deadly campaign against the Somali government and international forces since 2007.