Somalia: Five soldiers killed in battle that left 50 jihadists dead

The Somali government said five of its soldiers were killed on Saturday in a clash about 350 kilometers north of the capital Mogadishu in which nearly 50 fighters from the militant Islamist group Al-Shabaab were killed.

Government troops and supporting militias learned of an attack planned by Al-Shabaab in Ceeldheer in the Galgadud region, set up an ambush and “destroyed” the Al-Shabaab militia, a statement said.

Their forces killed at least 47 members of the militant group and lost five soldiers in the fighting, authorities said. They said air strikes were also carried out against al-Shabaab forces.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack on Ceeldheer.

local residents Mohammed Hussein told AFP by phone: “Heavy fighting broke out in the town of Ceeldheer this morning after Al-Shabaab attacked the town from several directions.

“Some time ago it was very difficult to say who was in control, but now we can see that Somali government forces are in full control,” he added.

Another man from the area, Hassan Gutalesaid: “There were at least six heavy explosions and fighting that lasted several hours.”

Somali President elected in May 2022 Hassan Sheikh Mohamud vowed to wage “total war” against the Islamist group.

Al-Shabaab has been waging a deadly insurgency against the fragile central government in Mogadishu for more than 16 years.

Although they were expelled from the capital by an African Union force in 2011, they still have a strong presence in rural areas of Somalia.

They have repeatedly carried out attacks on political, security and civilian targets, mainly in Somalia, but also in neighboring countries such as Kenya.

Somalia’s beleaguered federal government has allied itself with the local clan militia in the fight against the Islamists and has recaptured large parts of the country in central Somalia in an operation supported by the AU mission ATMIS and US air strikes.

But the offensive suffered setbacks. Earlier this year, Al-Shabaab claimed to have captured several locations in the center of the country.