AlShabab

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…

Somali, U.S. forces destroy al-Shabab explosives factory in Middle Juba, kill 18 MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali National Army forces, working in coordination with U.S. troops, carried out a planned overnight operation in Middle Juba that destroyed what officials described as al-Shabab’s largest explosives production facility and killed 18 militants, the Defense Ministry said Saturday. The strike took place late Friday in the Saakow district and targeted a factory used by the al-Qaida-linked group to manufacture and prepare…

Somalia graduates new Gorgor Special Forces at TURKSOM as push against al-Shabab builds MOGADISHU — Somalia on Thursday graduated new units of its elite Gorgor Special Forces after completing training at the TURKSOM Military Training Academy, a milestone officials framed as pivotal to intensifying military operations against al-Shabab in the south. Defense Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi, speaking at the ceremony, praised Somali National Army (SNA) leadership for sustained efforts to professionalize the force and strengthen…

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…

Somali forces repel al-Shabab assault in Middle Shabelle, kill senior commander MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali government forces, backed by organized local community fighters, repelled an al-Shabab attack on the Wargaadhi area of Middle Shabelle on Friday, killing a senior militant commander and forcing the remaining fighters to flee, the Defense Ministry said. The Somali National Army said the assault was thwarted in a coordinated defensive operation that returned and maintained full control of the area, which officials…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government said Thursday that a planned airstrike in the al-Shabab-held town of Jilib on Dec. 10 killed two senior leaders of the extremist group, including a bomb-making chief who carried a $5 million U.S. bounty. The National Intelligence and Security Agency, known as NISA, said the strike killed Abdullahi Osman Mohamed, widely known as Engineer Ismail, describing him as al-Shabab’s chief explosives planner. The United States had offered up to $5 million for information leading to his…

U.N. experts warn that al-Shabab remains the most immediate threat to peace and stability in Somalia and the wider region, especially Kenya, even as the U.N. Security Council unanimously extended the African Union’s support-and-stabilization mission in the country through Dec. 31, 2026. Despite sustained operations by Somali and international forces, the al-Qaida-linked group’s capacity “to carry out complex, asymmetric attacks in Somalia remains undiminished,” according to the panel of experts report released Wednesday. The…

U.N. experts warn al-Shabab remains top threat in Somalia and Kenya as Security Council extends AU mission to 2026 Al-Shabab remains the greatest immediate threat to peace and stability in Somalia and the wider region, especially Kenya, U.N. experts said in a report released Wednesday, warning that the group’s operational capacity and influence remain largely undiminished. Despite ongoing operations by Somali and international forces, the al-Qaida-linked group continues to execute complex, asymmetric attacks across Somalia,…

Somali army says it killed senior al-Shabab leaders in Middle Shabelle raid MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s national army said Sunday it killed senior al-Shabab leaders and roughly 15 fighters in a planned security operation in the Jabad Godane area of the Middle Shabelle region, describing the strike as a significant blow to the group’s leadership and logistics. In a brief statement, the Somali National Army said the operation targeted a militant cell accused of planning attacks and targeting civilians. The army identified…