Somali

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s Council of Ministers on Thursday praised the Somali Armed Forces for killing more than 130 al-Shabab militants during a 24-hour operation that repelled a major attack on the coastal town of Kudhaa in the Lower Juba region. In a statement, the Cabinet called the offensive a decisive security victory, saying government forces thwarted a “desperate attempt” by the al-Qaida-linked group to seize the strategic town. Officials said the swift response prevented civilian casualties and restored…

Somali forces kill more than 130 Al-Shabaab militants to repel major attack on Kudhaa, ministry says MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali special forces and allied regional troops repelled a major Al-Shabaab assault on the strategic town of Kudhaa in the country’s south, killing more than 130 militants in a daylong battle, the Ministry of Defence said Thursday. The 24-hour operation unfolded in Kudhaa, about 70 kilometers southwest of the port city of Kismayo, and drew in the Somali National Army’s U.S.-trained Danab Special Forces,…

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…

Somali forces retake coastal town of Kudhaa after heavy fighting with al-Shabab KUDHAA, Somalia — Somali government troops backed by the elite Danab commandos and Jubbaland regional forces have retaken the coastal town of Kudhaa after heavy fighting with al-Shabab, officials said Thursday. Military officials said the clashes began before dawn a day earlier when al-Shabab fighters launched an attack on the area in Somalia’s Lower Juba region. The battle ended early Thursday after government-aligned units surrounded the…

MOGADISHU — Former Somali Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments Omar Ali Rooble accused federal security forces of raiding and demolishing parts of his family home in Mogadishu late Monday, alleging the operation was a politically motivated land grab tied to senior government figures, including President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. In a statement released Tuesday, Rooble said troops accompanied by demolition equipment arrived in a convoy of military vehicles and moved to seize a property he maintains legally belongs to his…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government has invited the Somali Future Council, a leading opposition alliance, to a multi-day national conference in Mogadishu beginning Feb. 1, aiming to speed up talks on the country’s political direction with a particular focus on the electoral roadmap. The invitation, issued late Monday by the Office of Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, signals a tentative step toward dialogue amid rising tensions over electoral rules and the broader governance framework. The move follows President…

Legal Block Lifted: Somali MPs to Join East African Legislature DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — The regional appellate court for the East African Community has overturned earlier decisions that barred nine Somali parliamentarians from taking their seats in the East African Legislative Assembly, clearing the way for Somalia’s first full participation in the EAC’s lawmaking body. Somalia’s Ambassador to Tanzania and the EAC, Ilyaas Cali Xasan, confirmed the development after weeks of legal deliberations. “This ruling strengthens…

MINNEAPOLIS — The corridors of Karmel Mall, usually a hive of bargaining and chatter, were hushed on a recent afternoon. Steel shutters rolled down over rows of storefronts. A bakery still perfumed the air with fried dough, the central heating hummed, and low recitations from the Quran drifted from a few open doorways. Mostly, though, vendors waited alone. “It’s been like this for three weeks now,” said Abdi Wahid, who works at his mother’s convenience store inside the sprawling Somali business complex in south Minneapolis.…

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…

LAS ANOD, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud urged North Western State of Somalia’s leaders to return to talks with Mogadishu during a landmark visit Sunday to Las Anod, offering compromise on “everything” except Somalia’s unity, which he declared nonnegotiable. “I am open to dialogue and compromise on everything,” Hassan Sheikh said, “except the unity of the country.” He framed national unity as a red line even as he pledged flexibility on political and administrative questions that have long strained relations with…