Sunday September 14, 2025
Dhusamareeb (HOL) - The death toll of Al-Shabaab militants
killed in the fighting in El-Dheer district of Galgaduud region has risen to
71, after local authorities discovered additional bodies of the attackers.
El-Dheer District Commissioner Abdirahman Ahmed Omar told
local media that more bodies of Al-Shabaab fighters were found following the
fierce clashes.
“The national and local forces showed great courage.
Al-Shabaab wanted to capture El-Dheer, but they were strongly defended. The
death toll now stands at 71 militants killed,” said the commissioner.
The battle, which lasted for many hours, caused casualties
on both sides. According to the Ministry of Defence, six Somali soldiers were
killed and 14 others wounded in the fighting.
Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi praised the joint forces
for “bravely defending El-Dheer,” noting that the militants were unable to
retrieve their dead and wounded.
Al-Shabaab had claimed online that it captured El-Dheer and
inflicted heavy casualties on Somali forces, but local authorities dismissed
the claims as propaganda.