MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali government forces repelled an early-morning al Shabaab raid on a military position in Middle Shabelle on Tuesday and later secured the area, the Defence Ministry said.
In a statement, the ministry said fighters from the al Qaeda-linked group mounted a dawn assault on Somali National Army (SNA) positions in the Jabad Godabe area, triggering heavy exchanges of fire before troops pushed the militants back.
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The ministry did not provide casualty figures from the clash. Independent sources in the region reported significant losses on both sides, but those accounts could not be immediately verified due to limited access and disrupted communications in the area.
Government forces have launched a security sweep and clearance operation in and around Jabad Godabe to track down remaining militants and prevent any attempt to regroup, according to the statement. Authorities said the area was secured following the counterassault.
The attack comes amid intensified government operations against al Shabaab in recent days, particularly around the coastal town of Warsheikh in Middle Shabelle. Security officials have framed the campaigns as part of an ongoing effort to degrade the group’s ability to stage raids on military posts and communities along key routes.
Al Shabaab has waged an insurgency against Somalia’s internationally backed government for more than a decade, regularly targeting security forces, government installations and civilian areas with raids, bombings and ambushes. The group did not immediately comment on Tuesday’s incident.
Details from Middle Shabelle remained fluid Tuesday as the army continued its clearance mission. Authorities urged residents to cooperate with ongoing security checks while emphasizing that the priority was to prevent any follow-on attacks or movement by retreating militants.
Somalia’s military has relied on a combination of ground operations, local community support and coordinated efforts with regional authorities to counter the militants’ reach across central and southern regions. Officials say the recent tempo of operations in Middle Shabelle is aimed at disrupting al Shabaab’s staging points near strategic towns like Warsheikh and reducing the frequency of attempted raids on outposts such as Jabad Godabe.
While the Defence Ministry’s statement did not outline the duration of Tuesday’s battle, it underscored that government forces held their positions and repelled the attackers before moving to secure the vicinity. The army’s follow-on sweeps typically focus on detaining suspected fighters, clearing explosives and collecting materiel left behind by militants, according to standard procedures described in past operations.
Verifying accounts from active combat zones in Somalia remains challenging. Many areas under operation are remote, and communications can be intermittent. As a result, casualty tallies and battlefield narratives often evolve as investigators and local authorities access the sites in the aftermath.
Tuesday’s raid underscores al Shabaab’s continued intent to test army defenses even as government forces step up pressure in Middle Shabelle. Security officials said operations would continue in the coming days, with a focus on preventing militants from reconstituting attack cells near vulnerable communities and military positions.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
