AADAN YABAAL, Somalia – Somali government troops backed by local militia from the central Hiiraan region have launched the final phase of a coordinated offensive aimed at dislodging Al-Shabaab fighters from the strategic town of Aadan Yabaal in Middle Shabelle, officials said on Tuesday.
Military movements have intensified around the outskirts of the town, long held by the Al-Qaeda-linked group. Security sources said the operation is expected to extend across a wide area where the militants have maintained a presence.
Senior officials, including the director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) Abdullahi Sanbalolshe, and the commander of the Somali National Army’s land forces, Sahal Abdullahi Omar, visited the frontline over the weekend to boost troop morale.
“We met with the national forces and local fighters on the front lines. Their determination is clear — they are ready to reclaim Aadan Yabaal,” said General Omar. He emphasized the importance of cooperation between regular forces and community-led militias in the broader campaign against the group.
The Somali government has stepped up its military push against Al-Shabaab in recent weeks. Defence Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi recently vowed that the insurgents would be swiftly driven out of all their remaining strongholds in the Middle Shabelle region.
Al-Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency against the Somali government for over a decade, continues to control large swathes of rural territory, despite intensified operations supported by international partners.
