MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somali intelligence units, in coordination with the Somali Air Force, launched targeted drone strikes overnight against Al-Shabaab training and weapons storage facilities in southern Somalia, officials said Wednesday.
The operation, carried out using newly operational Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones, hit multiple locations in the Lower Shabelle and Middle Jubba regions, including the towns of Jilib, Sablaale, and Kunya Barow.
Heavy missiles struck a major weapons depot on the outskirts of Jilib, destroying the site, according to security sources who requested anonymity. Additional strikes in Sablaale and Kunya Barow demolished other Al-Shabaab facilities.
A training camp housing over 300 fighters – including foreign trainers and regional commanders – was also targeted. At least 29 Al-Shabaab officers, most of them foreigners, were killed in the strikes, the source said.
“This operation dealt a significant blow to Al-Shabaab’s logistical and command infrastructure,” said a senior intelligence official.
The strikes come amid reports that Al-Shabaab has reasserted control over several areas in Lower Shabelle following a government withdrawal. Somali forces had previously retaken those areas during offensives in late 2024 and early 2025.
Earlier this year, similar drone operations targeting Jilib – considered an Al-Shabaab stronghold – resulted in substantial militant casualties and disrupted the group’s communications.
Security officials say the Somali government is escalating air operations as part of a broader strategy to dismantle Al-Shabaab’s operational capabilities and reassert control in contested regions.
Reported by Abdirisak Mohamud Tuuryare
