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Saturday April 11, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — U.S. Africa Command, working with the Federal Government of Somalia, carried out airstrikes against ISIS-Somalia on April 6 and 7, officials said. In a statement released Friday, AFRICOM said the strikes hit targets in the Golis Mountains, about 55 to 75 kilometers (34 to 47 miles) southeast of the port city of Bossaso in northeastern Somalia. AFRICOM said the mission was intended to weaken ISIS-Somalia’s capacity to plan and launch attacks that could endanger the U.S. homeland,…

Wednesday April 8, 2026 Garowe (AX) — Puntland State President Said Abdullahi Deni has placed the region’s security forces on full alert, citing a mix of threats that he said range from terrorism and piracy to infiltration from within. Addressing senior officers and troops on Monday in Qardho district, Deni said Puntland State was fighting what he called a “just war” to protect its people and its territory. “Puntland State is waging a just war to defend its people and its land,” Deni said. “We will not give our forces wrong…

Will XavierTuesday April 7, 2026 An Iranian-flagged dhow that had been seized off Somalia’s coast has been freed after sustained pressure from EU naval forces, with the vessel now back under control and its crew accounted for, Operation Atalanta said. The Alwaseemi was hijacked on March 24, roughly 400 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, according to the mission. A warship and other Atalanta assets kept the fishing boat under close watch in the days that followed. "The pirates left the fishing vessel as a result of the…

Monday April 6, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somali government forces, supported by international partners, killed 12 al-Shabab fighters in a planned operation near Baidoa and Daynuunay in the Bay region, the Ministry of Defense said Monday. According to the ministry, the strike targeted militant positions around the vital corridor that connects Mogadishu and Baidoa. Several other fighters were wounded in the assault, though officials did not release additional details. The ministry said the mission was part of a wider push to…

Saturday April 4, 2026 A senior al-Shabaab commander has been captured in southern Somalia in a joint operation carried out by the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and the Somali National Armed Forces. In a statement, the AU mission said the suspect, identified as Salaad Cusmaan Macalin, also known as Sahm, was detained on Thursday on the northwestern outskirts of Mubarak. "Initial interrogation findings indicate that one of his associates, identified as Ismaaciil, a Kenyan national, had…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — International naval forces are tracking an Iranian-flagged dhow seized by suspected pirates off Somalia’s coast, maritime security agencies said Wednesday. The vessel, the Al Waseemi 786, was reported taken about 400 nautical miles east of Mogadishu. The Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) and the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) described the episode as a "probable piracy event," and said the dhow is likely being used as a "mothership" to support additional attacks on commercial…

Wednesday April 1, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Air traffic to Somalia’s Southwest State resumed on Tuesday, ending a suspension that had lasted nearly two weeks, just one day after federal forces took complete control of Baidoa, the region’s administrative hub. The return of commercial flights offers a tentative sign of calm after days of heavy fighting that forced Southwest State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen to step down and set off a fresh political transition in the region. Somalia’s Speaker of the House of the…

Tuesday March 31, 2026 MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somalia's prime minister has rejected calls for indirect voting in South West State after federal forces secured Baidoa, arguing that the transition should move toward national reform rather than return to the older indirect election model. The dispute over Baidoa is also being read as a test of Somalia's federal arrangement, with critics warning that unilateral intervention could reshape the balance between Mogadishu and the regions. “Baidoa is under the control of the…

Monday March 30, 2026 Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia’s Southwest State on Sunday accused the federal government of turning Turkish-trained troops and military hardware donated by Türkiye against its own regional administration, a claim that adds fresh fuel to an already volatile political and security standoff. In a statement, the Southwest State presidency said forces trained by Türkiye for counterterrorism missions had been deployed in an operation directed at the regional leadership. It also alleged that Turkish drones were…

Monday March 30, 2026 Baidoa (AX) — Heavy fighting erupted on Monday in and around Baidoa, pitting Southwest State forces against federal government troops and allied armed groups loyal to the regional administration. Residents said intense bursts of gunfire rang out from early morning and continued for hours. The violence reportedly began near a livestock market close to a checkpoint on the main road connecting Baidoa and Mogadishu, then spread into other parts of the town. The number of casualties remains unclear, and…