MOGADISHU, Somalia – The Somali government said an operation in the central city of Elbur targeted Al-Shabaab leaders in a meeting, days after the SNA vacated the area.
The suspected US airstrike killed several leaders, including the head of finance of the Al-Shabaab group in the Galgaduud region, whose name was identified as Sahal.
The commander of the 26th Brigade of the Danab force, General Ismail Abdimalik, confirmed the operation to the state media, saying the army would continue such raids.
US and local community fighters are involved in the ongoing military operation in Somalia, which saw the liberation of dozens of villages from Al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda-linked group.
The city of Elbur is one of the areas that the government recently took over, but the army later left following the deadly attack on Cawsweyne [Osweine], which killed many soldiers.
Somali government officials have avoided giving details of the attack, but sources said the two SNA brigades that captured Cowsweyne suffered heavy losses. It was described as “painful.”
Al-Shabaab has returned and now rules Elbur, which is located in the Galmudug state of Somalia, where President Hassan Sheikh is mobilizing an offensive against the militants.
