Saturday September 13, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) - Galmudug regional leader Ahmed Abdi Kariye
has commended the Somali National Army (SNA) and local militia forces for
foiling an Al-Shabaab attack in the El-Dheer district of the Galguduud region
on Friday.
In a statement, Kariye said the Somali forces and allied
fighters had inflicted heavy casualties on the militant group.
“The strength of the country and the people of El-Dheer—
you have taught an unforgettable lesson this morning to the terrorists who
attacked you. You have sent a message of courage that shows the days of
terrorists hiding inside our country to harm our honorable people are running
out,” Kariye declared.
Somalia’s Defence Ministry said more than 30 Al-Shabaab
militants were killed after government forces and allied militias repelled a
dawn assault, the heaviest fighting reported in central Galgaduud this week.
According to the ministry, six soldiers were killed and 14
others wounded in the clashes, while several Al-Shabaab commanders known for
targeting civilians were captured. Residents told Hiiraan Online that militant
bodies remained scattered outside the town, underscoring the scale of the
losses.
Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi praised the joint forces
for “bravely defending El-Dheer” and noted that militants had been unable to
retrieve their dead and wounded.
Al-Shabaab later claimed online that it had captured
El-Dheer and killed government soldiers. However, those claims could not be
independently verified. District Commissioner Abdirahman Ahmed Omar dismissed
the group’s statement as “fabricated propaganda meant to mislead the public.”