HARARDHERE, Somalia – The Somali military says it carried out a planned operation targeting the Al-Shabaab position in the central Mudug region amid a stepped-up offensive.
The government forces killed Mohamed Isack Mara’adde, a top Al-Shabaab commander along with a foreign fighter in the raid carried out in the Dumare, outside Harardhere city.
The total number of militants neutralized is estimated at least five.
Mara’adde was a wanted Al-Shabaab commander in central Somalia after having a leading role in several deadly attacks, according to reports received by Shabelle Media Network.
Al-Shabab’s spokespeople could not immediately be reached for comment.
The Somali forces backed by local clan fighters took the port town of Harardhere and the nearby town of Galcad from Al-Shabaab during a joint military operation in January 2023.
The government and allied clan militias have forced the rebels from swathes of territory in central Somalia since launching a major offensive last August.
The successes have led some officials to claim that Al-Shabaab is on its last legs. However, experts have cautioned that the group has been pushed out of major towns before only to regroup and reclaim areas the army cannot hold.
