Mogadishu (Axadle + Axadle) – An overnight airstrike by the Somali National Army and international partners hit Al-Shabaab positions in Suullaay, about 17 kilometers south of Tedan in the Hiran region, killing 25 alleged fighters and wounding 18 others, Somalia’s Ministry of Defence said. Four members of the group also surrendered following the operation on Friday, July 17.
In a statement issued Saturday, the Ministry of Defence said the strike was conducted under the Federal Government of Somalia’s continuing campaign against Al-Shabaab. The operation focused on positions established by the group in Suullaay, where security forces have maintained efforts to disrupt militant activity across central Somalia.
The ministry named the four people who surrendered to the Somali National Army as Aden Mohamed Jimale, known in the group as Abbas, Ibrahim Aden Dahir, Aden Abshir Abdi, and Nurow Aawid Ali, who reportedly went by the alias Amir. Officials said they surrendered after surviving the strike, while other fighters fled and left weapons behind in what the ministry characterized as a major defeat.
“The operation forms part of the sustained offensive to weaken the operational capability of the Khawaarij group and pursue its remaining elements,” the Ministry of Defence said, using the Somali government’s term for Al-Shabaab. It thanked Somalia’s international partners for their continued counterterrorism cooperation and said military action would proceed under directives from President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to eliminate the armed group.
A senior defence official told Lamaane News Network after the statement’s release that security forces remained stationed across the wider area to evaluate the operation’s aftermath and stop surviving militants from regrouping. The official did not name the international partners involved and directed further questions to the appropriate government authorities.
Residents in several parts of the wider Hiran region said they heard aircraft overhead during the night. Access to the site of the strike, however, remained limited amid continuing military activity. Lamaane News Network was unable to independently confirm the casualty toll or other operational details provided by the Ministry of Defence.
Hiran remains a central front in Somalia’s campaign against Al-Shabaab, with government troops carrying out coordinated air and ground operations designed to disrupt militant networks, supply corridors, and command structures. Airstrikes have played a growing supporting role in ground offensives as security forces work to extend government authority into rural territory.
The operation highlights the Somali government’s sustained use of coordinated military pressure as a core element of its wider strategy against Al-Shabaab. Authorities are expected to closely assess the strike’s results, including the reported surrender of four alleged members, as they pursue efforts to curb the group’s operational reach and strengthen security in central Somalia.
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Publisher Bio: Lamaane News Network ( is an independent digital news organization based in Mogadishu that reports in Somali and English on Somalia, the Horn of Africa, and international affairs. Established on December 9, 2015, it is dedicated to delivering timely, factual, and balanced journalism guided by professional editorial and ethical standards.
