troops

Somali forces say they killed seven al‑Shabaab fighters in coordinated raid in Hiiraan MOGADISHU — Somali security forces, aided by international partners, killed seven al‑Shabaab militants in a multi‑phase operation on Monday in Kuukaayle, a locality in the Mahas District of Hiiraan region, officials said, underscoring the continued, often murky partnership between Somali units and foreign military planners in the fight against the insurgency. Three‑stage operation Somali authorities said the mission was launched after…

As Puntland State claims new victories against ISIS in Cal‑Miskaad, deeper questions remain BOSASO, Somalia — For nearly a year, Puntland State’s security forces have been waging a gritty campaign against Islamic State-linked militants dug into the tangled ridges and cave networks of the Cal‑Miskaad mountains. Local commanders and officials now insist the offensive is paying off — with recent operations dislodging fighters from a strategic base and seizing several cave systems — but analysts and residents warn that military…

Puntland State forces detain Turkish national in anti-ISIS sweep in Bari BOSASO, Somalia — Puntland State security forces said Wednesday they captured a Turkish national during a counterterrorism operation in the rugged Baalade valley of the Bari region, part of a sustained campaign to flush Islamic State-linked militants from the Cal‑Miskaad mountains. Authorities identified the detainee as Feyzul Hashim Suleyman. He is the second Turkish citizen to be seized by Puntland State forces in recent weeks; another Turkish…

Puntland State launches multi-front assault on ISIS positions in Al-Miskad mountains Ceelka Il-Abbal, Somalia — Puntland State security forces launched a coordinated, multi-pronged offensive Monday against entrenched ISIS fighters thought to be sheltering in the remote Al-Miskad mountain range, officials said, stepping up a campaign to flush out some of the group's last visible leaders in northeastern Somalia. The operation, focused on the Ceelka Il-Abbal area — a maze of rocky ridges and dry gullies that have long offered…

Somali, Ugandan forces take Awdheegle in fresh push against al‑Shabaab Somali troops backed by Ugandan peacekeepers say they have seized control of Awdheegle, a strategic farming town on the Shabelle River about 80 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu, in the latest phase of a stepped-up offensive against al‑Shabaab. The Ministry of Defense announced Saturday that the capture is a milestone in “Silent Storm,” a multi‑stage campaign to dismantle the militant group’s foothold across southern Somalia. In the hours after the…

Djibouti’s new troop deployment highlights a widening fault line in Somalia’s fragile stabilisation Djibouti’s announcement that it will send additional troops to Somalia is a small but telling development in a long-running struggle that has consumed the Horn of Africa for more than a decade. The move — formalised in a new bilateral agreement with Mogadishu and presented at the United Nations by Djibouti’s envoy Mohamed Siad Doualeh — is aimed at bolstering the African Union-led stabilisation effort against the Islamist…

Somalia deploys newly trained Custodial Corps to front lines as fight with al‑Shabab intensifies MOGADISHU — Somalia has rushed newly trained members of its Custodial Corps to embattled front lines, a sign of how the government is widening its war effort as clashes with al‑Shabab escalate across the country’s south and center. Maj. Gen. Mahad Abdirahman Aden, who commands the corps, said Tuesday the fresh contingent will reinforce units already engaged in the field and help “hold the line” in contested areas. “The new…

Namibia sends troops and helicopters as fire devours a third of Etosha National Park Wind-driven flames have ripped through roughly one-third of Etosha National Park, one of southern Africa’s most important wildlife reserves, prompting Namibia to deploy helicopters and hundreds of additional troops to bolster firefighting efforts. The blaze — believed to have started at a charcoal production site outside the park — has killed wildlife, shredded grazing and breeding ground, and prompted sharp criticism of the government’s…

Ugandan troops kill senior Al-Shabaab commander in Lower Shabelle MOGADISHU — Ugandan forces serving with the African Union mission in Somalia say they have killed a senior Al-Shabaab operative in an ambush in the volatile Lower Shabelle region, a development that comes as Somalia struggles with shrinking international support and a partial drawdown of peacekeepers. The operation UPDF (Uganda People’s Defence Forces) units operating under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) reported…

Egypt’s Troops Prepare to Join Somalia Mission, Recasting the Horn’s Security Equation The Egyptian flag will soon fly alongside others on the front lines of Somalia’s long war with al-Shabab. After a week of site visits and quiet consultations in Mogadishu, an Egyptian military team has wrapped up an assessment that clears the way for Cairo’s first troop deployment to the African Union Support Mission in Somalia, or AUSSOM. On paper, it’s a straightforward move—one more nation committing forces to an African Union effort…