Mogadishu (AX) — Dozens of Somali government soldiers were killed and more than 100 others wounded in fierce fighting between government forces and al-Shabab near Buurhakaba district, two soldiers told Reuters, while the government separately said its forces had killed nearly 75 militants.
The intense fighting broke out on Monday in the Jameeca area of Bay region, as Somali National Army forces carrying out Operation Banooda advanced toward a strategic route linking the areas of Leego and Buurhakaba.
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One soldier, identified by Reuters as Ahmed, confirmed that he had helped evacuate the bodies of 40 soldiers and more than 100 wounded people who were taken to hospitals in Mogadishu after the fighting ended. Another soldier, named Farah, estimated that dozens of government soldiers had been killed after al-Shabab used vehicles loaded with explosives against the troops.
Farah told Reuters that five military vehicles were destroyed in the bomb attacks. However, the soldiers’ claims could not immediately be independently verified.
Somalia’s Ministry of Defence did not report any government casualties in its account of the fighting. Instead, it announced on Tuesday that nearly 75 al-Shabab militants had been killed and 56 others wounded during hours-long battles in several locations around the Jameeca area.
The ministry acknowledged that al-Shabab had used vehicles packed with explosives to target military vehicles, adding that some government vehicles had been damaged.
The casualty figures released by the government could also not be independently verified.
The fighting was part of Operation Banooda, a new offensive by the government targeting areas where al-Shabab maintains a presence along the road to Buurhakaba, a strategic location on the main route linking Mogadishu and Baidoa.
Reports from the area indicate that government forces were advancing toward Buurhakaba when the attack came from near Jameeca, which lies between Leego and the district.
The area has become highly volatile in recent weeks. Forces loyal to former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen seized Buurhakaba earlier this month after fighting with federal government forces and those of the regional administration.
The federal government accused forces loyal to Laftagareen of cooperating with al-Shabab during the latest developments in Bay region, allegations he has repeatedly and strongly denied.
The al-Qaeda-linked group has been fighting the Somali government for nearly two decades and still controls or operates in parts of rural southern and central Somalia, despite a series of military offensives against it.
