Somalia deploys newly trained Custodial Corps to front lines as fight with al‑Shabab intensifies
MOGADISHU — Somalia has rushed newly trained members of its Custodial Corps to embattled front lines, a sign of how the government is widening its war effort as clashes with al‑Shabab escalate across the country’s south and center.
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Maj. Gen. Mahad Abdirahman Aden, who commands the corps, said Tuesday the fresh contingent will reinforce units already engaged in the field and help “hold the line” in contested areas. “The new forces we trained will provide critical support on the frontlines,” he said, urging discipline, professionalism and unity of purpose among the troops.
Prison guards turned combat reinforcements
The Custodial Corps — once known primarily for guarding prisons and high‑risk detainees — has been refashioned as a combat support arm, part of a broader national strategy to mobilize every component of Somalia’s security architecture against al‑Shabab. The move underscores the government’s determination to sustain pressure after a stepped‑up campaign of ground assaults and precision airstrikes in recent weeks.
Officials did not disclose how many new personnel are being deployed, or their exact destinations. But the push comes as Somali forces, working alongside international and regional partners, target militant strongholds, supply nodes and safe houses in central states and the southern regions where the group maintains deep networks.
A grinding conflict enters another demanding phase
Al‑Shabab, aligned with al‑Qaida, has waged an insurgency for more than 15 years, blending classic guerrilla tactics with urban bombings and assassinations that regularly test the government’s ability to protect both troops and civilians. The group’s resilience has owed much to its fluid command structure, revenue streams from illicit taxation and smuggling, and its ability to exploit local grievances.
Somalia’s security forces have notched gains in waves. Community fighters — often referred to as “Macawiisley” militias — have, at key moments over the past several years, joined national troops to wrest back villages and disrupt collection points where al‑Shabab levies “taxes” on goods and movement. Each advance, however, brings a familiar challenge: hold the ground, restore services, and keep supply lines secure, even as militants probe flanks with hit‑and‑run attacks.
Why the Custodial Corps matters now
Deploying a force traditionally focused on detention and facility security to the front underscores a practical reality: Somalia is extending the bench. The government’s message — that safeguarding national security is a shared duty across all uniformed services — mirrors decisions taken by other countries facing protracted insurgencies. In Nigeria, for instance, civil defense corps and police mobile units have been surged to supplement overstretched military brigades; in Afghanistan, various auxiliary forces were tapped during periods of intense fighting. The trade‑off is familiar: an expanded footprint can stabilize gains, but only if training, command and logistics are tight enough to maintain discipline and avoid civilian harm.
Mahad’s emphasis on professionalism is telling. Somalia’s security sector has been undergoing reforms to standardize training and unify command, even as specialized units — such as the Danab commandos — carry out targeted raids. Integrating a custodial service into that mix demands clarity on roles: perimeter security, convoy protection, holding newly recovered towns, or manning checkpoints. Those jobs matter as much as front‑line assault operations; in counterinsurgency, the day after a town changes hands can be the hardest day to manage.
The air‑ground tempo and a test of endurance
In recent weeks, the government says combined operations have hit al‑Shabab bases and hideouts in multiple regions. Airstrikes have been paired with ground sweeps designed to disrupt command nodes and chase fighters from rural sanctuaries. The effect, officials argue, is cumulative. But al‑Shabab has repeatedly shown it can absorb losses, regroup and retaliate — often with high‑profile bombings in urban centers meant to grab headlines and sap public confidence.
For civilians caught between these currents, every deployment brings hope and anxiety. Traders want safer roads to move livestock and goods; parents want schools to reopen without fear of recruitment or attack. Communities are also war‑weary, coming off years of drought followed by floods that displaced families and eroded livelihoods. When security operations create space for markets and clinics to function, the benefits are immediate. When they falter, al‑Shabab is quick to reimpose shadow governance and extract payments.
What success will look like
Military commanders measure progress in terrain seized, fighters neutralized, roadside bombs discovered before they detonate. But for many Somalis, success will be felt in smaller, steadier ways: a checkpoint that stays manned week after week; a market that remains open through a planting season; a school term that ends on time. Bringing the Custodial Corps into the field may help free up army units for offensive operations while giving local officials the predictability they need to coax services back to life.
That will require logistics and staying power. Food, fuel and reliable pay cycles keep forces cohesive. Clear rules of engagement protect communities and underpin the legitimacy the government seeks. And sober communication — reporting setbacks as well as gains — keeps expectations tethered to reality.
What to watch next
- Where the new units deploy: Forward bases in central regions, or to secure lines of communication behind the front?
- How quickly newly recovered areas see services return: Policing, courts, and basic administration are the early markers.
- Militant reaction: Expect attempts to test the new forces with ambushes or asymmetric attacks in urban centers.
- Coordination with partners: Continued air support and training aid will shape the tempo through the year.
For now, the government’s message is straightforward: with the Custodial Corps stepping into a broader role, Somalia is throwing more of its security apparatus into a fight that has defined a generation. The question is whether this expanded effort can translate battlefield momentum into durable security for families from Galmudug’s dusty crossroads to the crowded streets of Mogadishu.
“Security is a shared duty,” Maj. Gen. Mahad said, appealing for discipline as his newly trained personnel moved out. On the long road ahead, it’s also a shared test.
By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
