Beledweyne (AX) — Seven people were killed and nine wounded after hours of clashes between al-Shabab militants and local Macaawiisley fighters in Tardo village, Somalia’s Hiiraan region, a local administrator said Thursday.
Osman Hussein Gure, also known as Osman Dheere, said the violence erupted when al-Shabab fighters attempted to take a weapon from a local herder. Residents intervened, turning the confrontation into an armed clash.
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Al-Shabab fighters later encircled the area as the fighting intensified, and the battle continued for several hours, Dheere said.
“The civilians were among those killed, while other residents fled their homes and moved to areas between 40 and 80 kilometers away,” he added.
The clashes brought normal activity in Tardo to a halt. Residents who had traveled to markets or gone to work were forced to flee when the gunfire began, Dheere said.
The reported death and injury tolls could not immediately be independently confirmed.
The violence follows reports that al-Shabab recently reached an agreement with representatives of the Hawadle clan intended to end a long-running conflict in Hiiraan.
Dheere questioned the authenticity of the reported accord and expressed doubts about videos shared on social media that purportedly showed details of the agreement. He said some of the footage might have been produced or altered with artificial intelligence, but offered no evidence for the claim.
Hiiraan has emerged as a key center of the Macaawiisley uprising against al-Shabab in recent years. The community-based militias, which have at various times received backing from Somali government forces, have fought the militant group across parts of central Somalia.
The violence has repeatedly involved clan militias, federal forces and Hirshabelle security units, while forcing civilians to leave rural communities.
Dheere urged Somalia’s federal government and the Hirshabelle administration to act, saying residents required immediate aid as well as a lasting solution to the area’s recurring violence.
