US-Trained Somali Forces Deal Major Blow to Al-Shabab in Southern Somalia
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Staff Reporter GAROWE ONLINE
- Posted On 19-08-2025, 06:45PM
MOGADISHU, Somalia - The US-trained Danab Special Forces inflicted heavy losses on the Al-Shabaab militants in Lower Shabelle as the operation against Al-Shabaab gathers momentum on several frontlines, leaving hundreds of fighters dead within a short span.
According to Somalia’s Ministry of Defence, with the help of international partners, the Danab Special Forces killed over 100 fighters in Awdheegle following intensive clashes, Monday, further showcasing the resilience in liberating strategic towns.
The ministry revealed that some of those killed were senior Al-Shabaab commanders following precision airstrikes, which destroyed tunnels and bunkers as the Danab Special Forces made ground offensives to recover the territory.
The state media reports that Somalia’s elite Forces launched the offensive late on Sunday, but fighting continued until Monday when the strategic town of Awdheegle was liberated from the fighters who had been in charge for months.
This followed a string of government gains in nearby Sabiid, Caanoole, and Bariire. In Barire, the national army, with the help of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces attached to the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), managed to recover the town, killing over 100 militants as well.
Since July, Somali security forces — with support from the AU troops — have stepped up offensives against the al-Qaida-linked extremist group in Lower Shabelle, a region long regarded as an al-Shabab stronghold.
There is a deliberate effort to degrade Alshabaab militants in southern and central Somalia, with the government making massive investments that have yielded results. The government of Somalia has however been accused of slowing down the efforts.
The country is under pressure to contain the group in the coming days before the exit of both the AUSSOM and the US Africa Command soldiers who have been helping the country to counter the group, as well as ISIS militants in northern Somalia.
GAROWE ONLINE
