AlShabaab

Somalia says its forces killed more than 130 al-Shabab fighters and repelled a major assault on the strategic coastal town of Kudhaa in the Lower Juba region after a prolonged battle that stretched beyond 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said Thursday. The joint operation, led by Somali National Army units and Jubbaland regional security forces with backing from international partners, broke an attempted overrun by the al-Qaida-linked group in one of its most active southern strongholds, according to the ministry. The Defense…

Al-Shabaab attacks Jubaland base in Kuday; outcome disputed KISMAYO, Somalia — Al-Shabaab fighters launched a pre-dawn assault Wednesday on a Jubaland security forces base in Kuday, a strategic coastal area in Lower Jubba about 60 kilometers south of the port city of Kismayo, according to local sources. Residents said the attack began with explosions that were followed by direct clashes between government soldiers and the militants around the base on Kuday island. The scale of the fighting and the extent of damage remained…

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. The ministry did not provide casualty figures from the clash. Independent sources in the region…

Somali, AU forces kill more than 30 al-Shabaab militants in joint strikes near Bulunugaad MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali and African Union forces, alongside Ugandan troops, killed more than 30 al-Shabaab militants and wounded several others in coordinated air and ground strikes in southern Somalia on Thursday, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) said. The operation, conducted near the Bulunugaad forward operating base in Lower Shabelle and supported by international partners, targeted entrenched al-Shabaab positions…

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AX) — Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency, working with international security partners, carried out an airstrike on a high-level meeting of al-Shabab commanders in the Middle Juba region on Wednesday, targeting a safe house in the Bu’aale district, security officials said. Authorities described the mission as intelligence-led and designed to fracture the al-Qaida-linked group’s senior leadership. The compound, identified as a venue for strategic consultations among senior figures, was…

Somalia’s NISA says senior al-Shabaab landmine operative killed in Afgooye raid MOGADISHU — Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency said it killed a senior member of the al-Shabaab militant group during a planned operation Wednesday on the outskirts of Afgooye in the Lower Shabelle region. In a statement, NISA said the man was responsible for preparing and planting landmines that targeted security forces and civilians in and around Afgooye, a key district west of the capital. The agency described the raid as…

Al-Shabab stages multi-pronged attack on Beledweyne; Somali forces say they repelled assault MOGADISHU, Somalia — Al-Shabab militants launched a coordinated attack on the central Somali city of Beledweyne late Tuesday, firing mortar rounds into a residential neighborhood before engaging Somali National Army units in street combat, according to residents and military officials. The assault began with a barrage targeting Bundaweyn, a neighborhood on the city’s edge, and quickly escalated into direct clashes with government…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali National Army Danab special forces killed 15 al-Shabab militants and captured eight others in a targeted raid late Saturday in Jilib district, a long-held stronghold of the extremist group in southern Somalia, the Defense Ministry said. The overnight operation zeroed in on militant positions inside the strategic town, part of a continuing campaign to degrade al-Shabab’s leadership, logistics and capacity to launch attacks. Casualties: 15 militants killed, eight captured, according to the Defense…

MOGADISHU — Somali National Army Danab special forces, working with international partners, killed at least 20 al-Shabab fighters — including senior leaders — in a planned overnight operation in Somalia’s Bay region, the federal government said Saturday. The raid struck late Friday in the Buula Fuleey area, where the militants were assembling, according to a government statement. Officials said the target was a key gathering point for the group’s commanders in the region and described the strike as a significant blow to…

MOGADISHU — Somalia’s Ministry of Defence said Thursday that national forces, working alongside international partners, killed 29 al-Shabaab militants in an operation centered on the town of Jabad Godane in the Middle Shabelle region. In a statement posted on X, the ministry said the coordinated operation included overnight airstrikes that also destroyed vehicles and weapons the group “intended for use in attacks against civilians.” The statement did not specify the timing beyond overnight strikes or provide details on…