Tuesday August 19, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s elite Danab Commandos, backed by
international partners, killed more than 100 al-Shabab fighters in an operation
near the town of Awdhegle in the Lower Shabelle region, the Defense Ministry
said Monday.
The ministry said key militant commanders were among those
killed. Precision airstrikes destroyed defensive tunnels and bunkers, while
Danab troops advanced on the ground to secure full control of the area.
The state-run Somali National News Agency reported the
operation began late Sunday and continued into the early hours of Monday. It
followed a string of government gains in nearby Sabiid, Caanoole and Bariire.
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.
Al-Shabab has fought an insurgency for more than 16 years,
frequently targeting government officials, security forces and civilians in a
campaign to topple Somalia’s fragile federal government.