Al-Shabaab militants continued to lose strategic towns in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Al-Shabaab continued to lose strategic towns across Somalia following the ongoing offensive by the Somali National Army [SNA] and the ever-cooperative Macawisley militia who have given a cutting edge in the fight against the militants across the Horn of Africa nation.

According to witnesses, the two allies combined yet again at Wartadibi, Samatar, and Boos Adur villages in Middle Shabelle as the team pushed further in the strategic Adan Yabal District. It is from this district that Al-Shabaab has been waging endless attacks in the region.

Witnesses said fighting erupted on Monday in the aforementioned villages as fighters moved in to consolidate the surrounding, forcing Al-Shabaab to withdraw from most parts. It is not clear whether the military and clan militia sustained any losses during the intense fighting.

The joint government forces are said to have attacked the area in three directions. The government is keen to control the district which has been under Al-Shabaab since 2016, forcing residents to part with money in the name of extortion, something which Mogadishu is fighting seriously.

A Somali military commander told VOA they have not seen residents inside Adan Yabaal but met some residents on the outskirts. Major Bashir Mukhtar Ahmed said the troops have taken precautionary measures and have set up defensive positions on the outskirts to avoid potential explosives

Military sources further noted that the fighting in the three villages was intense with the army forced to use sophisticated weapons to overcome the well-organized militants. Locals in the outskirts of the Adan Yabal district reported hearing heavy weaponry throughout the morning battle.

The Middle Shabelle region has been one of the Al-Shabaab's strongholds but the significant inroads made by the Somali National Army and local militia have been termed as "encouraging" by that privy to the gains made for over three months.

The US Africa Command and African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] are also actively involved in the crackdown.

GAROWE ONLINE