Thursday August 21, 2025
Beledweyne (HOL) — Somali and allied forces pledged
Wednesday to accelerate military operations against al-Shabab in the central
Hiiraan region, where the extremist group has recently regained ground.
The commitment was made during a high-level meeting in
Beledweyne, the regional capital, attended by Somali military commanders,
Hiiraan administration officials, and officers from Ethiopian and Djiboutian
contingents serving under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia
(ATMIS).
Local militia leader Ali Jeyte Osman, a key figure in
community mobilization against al-Shabab, urged a renewed offensive. “What did
we do wrong? Did a miracle happen to us?” he said, rejecting any notion of
halting the campaign. “This afternoon, let us declare war again, re-strengthen,
and capture the enemy’s stronghold.”
Djiboutian and Ethiopian officers pledged robust support for
Somali forces in retaking areas recently seized by al-Shabab in Hiiraan and
neighboring Middle Shabelle. The group, which has fought Somalia’s federal
government for over 16 years, remains entrenched in rural strongholds despite
sustained offensives.
The meeting comes as Mogadishu pushes into a second phase of
its nationwide anti-al-Shabab campaign, vowing to eliminate the group’s
presence and restore state control in central and southern regions.