El-Dheer, Somalia – Major General Sahal Abdullahi Omar, Commander of the Somali National Army’s (SNA) Land Forces, on Sunday visited El-Dheer town within the Galgadud region under tight security measures.
His trip followed fierce clashes on Friday, where government forces and allied local militias repelled an Al-Shabaab assault on the district, which was among several areas liberated from the militants during an offensive launched three years ago.
During his visit, Major General Sahal praised the bravery and dedication of the SNA troops and allied local forces for successfully defending the town and inflicting heavy losses on the militants.
“I commend the troops for their dedication and reaffirm that counter-terrorism operations will continue until Al-Shabaab is fully eradicated and Somalia is completely liberated,” he said.
El-Dheer District Commissioner Abdirahman Ahmed Omar reported that more than 70 Al-Shabaab fighters were killed during the several-hour battle.
The fighting also resulted in casualties among government forces, with six Somali soldiers killed and 14 others wounded, according to the Defence Ministry of the Federal Government of Somalia.
Speaking to the reporters in Mogadishu, Defense Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi said the army dealt a heavy blow to Al-Shabaab during the counter-attack and killed as many as 70 fighters and captured several alive.
Al-Shabaab has not yet commented on the minister’s claim; however, the group has shown its presence in central Somalia by waging major attacks against military bases.
