Thursday October 5, 2023
Mogadishu (HOL) - The Somali government said on Thursday that 100 al-Shabaab militants were killed in an intense fighting that occurred on Wednesday in the southern part of the Mudug region.
The Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Daud Aweys Jama, stated that the troops inflicted heavy casualties on the militants during the fighting, which took place in an area between the Wisil and Shabelow districts. The fighting started after militants ambushed military officials who had gone to a hill to get a better phone signal.
The minister reported that the military and local militia forces also successfully destroyed weapons, military equipment, and the group's base in the forest. He further mentioned that the army is involved in the final operations to eradicate al-Shabaab from the Mudug region.
Meanwhile, Minister Jama emphasized that another operation is in progress in the Mahaday district forest in the Middle Shabelle region. He noted that al-Shabaab leaders and other members have been trapped there for ten days. Minister Jama added that 19 leaders of the militants were killed during ongoing operations in Galmudug and Hirshabelle.
An official, who asked not to be identified, told VOA Somali that 30 soldiers from the government and local forces, including officials, were killed during the conflict. Preliminary reports also indicate that Military Colonel Alinasir Abdi Farah and the local government secretary of the Galkayo district in Galmudug, Abdiqani Mohamud Ahmed, known as Afyare, were among those killed in the attack.
Al-Shabaab militants claimed killing 58 people in the fighting and wounded over 70, but these casualty figures have not been independently verified.
The attack comes hours after the Ministry of Information announced that 1,650 al-Shabab militants were killed and injured more than 550 others during military offensives in Galmudug and Hirshabelle states in central Somalia in the last two months.