Al-Shabaab launches pre-dawn attack in Somalia
-
Staff Reporter GAROWE ONLINE
- Posted On 08-06-2024, 09:36AM
MOGADISHU, Somalia - Heavy fighting was reported in central regions of Somalia on Saturday morning, multiple sources confirmed, with the al-Shabaab targeting El-Dheer, a town which is an epicenter of tussles between the government troops and the militants.
Al-Shabaab has persistently attacked the town, targeting security teams who liberated it a couple of years ago. Despite flushing the militants out of the town, they have often revisited, destroying various installations in the process.
Through Telegram, the group claimed that it managed to “overrun” government military camps around the town but the claim has not been independently verified. So far, casualties are yet to be established by authorities.
Initially, the government troops and local fighters captured the town from al-Shabaab in January 2023 during the height of military operations. Troops retreated from El-Dheer in August last year after the Awsweyne debacle but returned there in December.
The town is one of those liberated during the first phase of operations against the militants that targeted central Somalia. During this period, over 3,000 Al-Shabaab fighters were apparently killed according to security briefs.
An official from the area claimed that government troops fought off the al-Shabaab militants who attacked El-Dheer. Claims and counterclaims aside, details are still murky, and it’s hard to verify who is in control of the town, Voice of America reports.
The militants have reduced attacks in central and southern regions for the last two years due to increased military activities within the country. The Somali National Army (SNA) has been working closely with US Africa Command and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) forces.
Somalia predicted a possible victory against Al-Shabaab by December 2024 but critics believe the strategy may not yield much. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has been criticized for slowing down military operations against the group for the last 10 months.
GAROWE ONLINE
