Sunday June 16, 2024
Baidoa (HOL) - The commander of the 8th battalion of the 60th division of the Somali National Army (SNA), Major Mohamed Nur Sheegow, also known as Mohamed Dheere, and seven SNA soldiers were killed in a roadside explosion in the Bay region of southwest Somalia on Saturday.
Chief of Defence Forces of the SNA, Ibrahim Sheikh Muhidin, confirmed the death of the commander when an explosive device struck the vehicles the soldiers were travelling in.
At least 11 other soldiers were also wounded in the explosion, according to a military official who declined to be named.
Muhidin said the incident occurred near Jiiragarob village, an area that is a stronghold for the al-Shabab extremist group on the outskirts of Berdale town.
"The commander Dhere and his forces were travelling from Baidoa to Berdale when their military vehicles were struck by the explosion, injuring over 11 soldiers," said a senior military officer in the Southwest State of Somalia.
The al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the latest attack against senior military leaders even as the Somali government intensified the onslaught against the al-Qaeda-linked militant group.
A day ago, federal government forces, alongside Southwest Darwish troops, conducted military operations on the roads connecting the regions of Bay, Bakool, and Gedo. According to a statement issued by the federal government, the troops have taken control of several areas, the names of which have not been disclosed. They have also destroyed sites where the group collected money from public vehicles.
Military officials told Somali National Television that the purpose of the operation was to secure the roads connecting the Bay, Bakool, and Gedo regions, where militants sometimes carried out terror activities.