Somali government forces, with the help of local militias, have managed to recapture the east of the Hiiraan region, until now in the hands of the jihadist organization Al Shabaab, following an offensive on Saturday afternoon, which also succeeded in recapturing several localities in the Middle Shabelle region in the south of the country.
These battles are part of the «total war» declared by the Somali government against this organization, one of the most dangerous on the African continent and responsible for hundreds of deaths and numerous attacks in the country’s capital, Mogadishu.
The army has recovered the towns of Gulane, Darusalam, Harga-Dhere and Mabah, the last town to be recovered in the east of Hiiraan, according to the spokesman of the Somali army, General Abdulahi Ali Aanud, in a press conference reported by the local portal Hiiraan On Line.
The latest fighting has resulted in the death of 16 Al Shabaab jihadists (four in Middle Shabelle, ten in Hiiraan), according to the army.
The situation in the town of Adan Jabal, one of the major strongholds of Al Shabaab in the country, remains unchanged since Saturday, when Somali forces were preparing to retake the town after noting, in principle, the withdrawal of the jihadist forces.
It should be recalled that Al Shabaab recaptured yesterday several strategic towns in central Somalia after days of heavy fighting against government forces of the African country, as confirmed by multiple sources to the news portal Garowe On Line.
The jihadists recaptured the town of Deynunay, in the Bay of Somalia, thanks to an offensive with heavy weapons allegedly imported from Yemen. Al Shabaab has also entered Gofgadud Buurey, about 30 kilometers from the town of Baidoa, after an unexplained withdrawal of the Somali army.
Experts consulted by Garowe on Line warned that the population of both towns could be subjected to bloody reprisals by the jihadists, given that they have been helping the Somali Army to drive out the terrorists.
