Somalia says 49 al-Shabab fighters killed in Lower Shabelle strikes; residents report powerful blasts near Afgoye
Government cites operation with intelligence service and international partners; U.S. military says it did not participate
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MOGADISHU — Somalia’s government said Wednesday its forces killed at least 49 al-Shabab fighters in a late-night operation targeting militant positions in the Lower Shabelle region, a longtime redoubt of the al-Qaida-linked group. The strikes rattled communities northwest of the capital, where residents described explosions so strong they shook the ground.
In a statement, the Ministry of Information said special forces, working in coordination with the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) and unspecified “international security partners,” struck militant positions in the village of Bulo-Madino on Tuesday evening. The government said several vehicles and a weapons cache used by the extremists were destroyed. The casualty figures could not be independently verified, and authorities did not report government losses.
“Last night, the whole earth shook. We heard two huge air strikes,” said Ali Farah, a bus driver in Afgoye district, about 25 kilometers northwest of Mogadishu. He said residents stayed indoors until first light, unsure whether more blasts would follow. “People are nervous, but also relieved when they hear the army is pushing them back,” he added.
The United States military, which has conducted multiple airstrikes against al-Shabab this year in support of Somali forces, said it did not take part in Tuesday’s operation.
The reported offensive comes as the government of Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre presses a multipronged campaign to degrade al-Shabab’s military capacity and finances. In a separate statement, Barre said Somali forces have killed more than 600 al-Shabab fighters, wounded 1,200, and recaptured 68 settlements over the past three months as part of what he called a “comprehensive military, economic, and ideological war.” Al-Shabab rarely comments on losses and often disputes official accounts.
Lower Shabelle remains one of the insurgency’s most entrenched theaters. The region’s fertile farms line the Shabelle River, supplying food to the capital and harboring smuggling routes and taxation points the militants have used to fund their war. Control of narrow roads that snake through banana and sesame fields can be decisive; when authorities close off those arteries, militants lose cash and freedom of movement, but farmers also face disruptions that ripple through markets in Mogadishu and beyond.
Tuesday’s strikes in Bulo-Madino underscore the continued role of intelligence-led operations and precision air power in Somalia’s fight. The government did not detail which international partners supported the raid, and it was not immediately clear whether aircraft or armed drones were used. In recent years, Somalia has leaned on a mix of local forces, intelligence operatives, and foreign backers to target commanders and logistics hubs while ground units attempt to hold liberated territory.
That task is growing more urgent as African Union forces continue drawing down under a U.N.-mandated timetable, gradually handing primary security responsibilities to the Somali National Army and regional police. Diplomats and aid workers say the tempo of operations has picked up in some areas, but the patchwork nature of governance—and the insurgency’s ability to regroup in rural sanctuaries—has made lasting gains hard to secure.
For residents in Afgoye, scenes of tension are familiar. The town sits on a vital artery linking Mogadishu to the south and west, a road that has alternated between government checkpoints and insurgent ambushes for more than a decade. “When there are explosions at night, you worry about what comes next,” said Farah, the bus driver. “In the morning, people still have to go to market.”
The strikes also highlight a pattern seen across Somalia’s recent campaigns: military pressure flushes al-Shabab units from hubs into the bush, where they disperse and adapt, often leaning on roadside bombs and assassinations in urban centers to signal resilience. Government officials say they are pairing battlefield advances with moves to cut off militant funding, from extortion in markets to forced “taxes” on truckers and farmers. Rights groups and business associations have quietly backed those efforts, though they note that building trust at the local level—through reliable services and fair courts—will ultimately determine whether communities stay on the government’s side.
International partners continue to weigh how to support Somali-led operations without fueling civilian harm. The Pentagon says it follows strict rules on target verification for any U.S. strike support; Turkey, the European Union, and other allies have focused on training and equipment. The government did not report civilian casualties from Tuesday’s operation, and there were no immediate claims from local hospitals.
In Mogadishu, the announcement of new gains in Lower Shabelle will be read as a sign the government intends to keep momentum through the end of the year, even as political and humanitarian pressures intensify. Floods and drought cycles tied to climate change have displaced hundreds of thousands across southern Somalia, complicating military logistics and deepening the economic grievances al-Shabab exploits. The longer-term test, military analysts say, is whether villages like Bulo-Madino see durable policing, functioning schools, and courts that can arbitrate land disputes without fear—a checklist that extends far beyond the success of a single night’s strike.
For now, the government’s message is one of pressure and persistence. “Comprehensive war,” as the prime minister put it, implies more than battles—it suggests a contest for ideas and incomes as much as for towns and terrain. The explosions that shook Afgoye on Tuesday night may have quieted by dawn. The real measure will be whether residents can move along the road in daylight without glancing over their shoulders.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
Somali military officers march in a parade during celebrations to mark the 62nd anniversary of the Somali National Armed Forces in Mogadishu, Somalia April 12, 2022. REUTERS/Feisal Omar/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s government said Wednesday that
its national army killed at least 49 al-Shabab fighters during a military
operation in the Lower Shabelle region.
