Somalia: Troops unleash offensive against Al-Shabaab, senior commander among those killed

MOGADISHU, Somalia - At least five militants were killed on Wednesday in an operation executed by Somali Army, a senior military official said, although Al-Shabaab is yet to confirm the latest onslaught against the group.

The five were killed during an army operation carried out between recently liberated town of Janaale and Qoryoley, which are notorious territories of the Al-Shabaab, which controls large swathes of rural southern and central Somalia.

For the last three months, elite troops from SNA have been engaging Al-Shabaab in-ground combats, but the US Africa Command has been also aiding the raids through airstrikes, which have significantly weakened the Al-Qaeda linked group.

Gen. Abdihamid Mohamed, the Somali National Army commander in Lower Shabelle region, said one of the most sought after militant, Abu Bakar, was among those killed by the special forces, who also wounded several militants during the operation.

"We have succumbed combed the area after the onslaught. Five militants were confirmed dead among them a senior commander. Our forces will continue unleashing until we secure regions still under the militants," he told reporters.

Some of the affected areas include Kabtan-Las and Bulo-Sheikh villages, where the militants have been recruiting and training youths, some of them who end up being child soldiers, Abdihamid said.

After the capture of strategic towns and villages, the SNA troops have been preaching to the locals in a scheme meant to discredit the extreme ideologies propagated by the militants in several parts of Somalia.

"We don't just capture and leave. Our troops are also doing Qur'an teaching to help our people know the truth," he said. "we shall continue to do that until Somalis know that these baseless teachings by Al-Shabaab are not anchored in any philosophy."

The raid came few hours after the SNA troops raided Al-Shabaab meeting in Arabow, where several militants were also killed. The US is also said to have fired drones during the crackdown.

Since January, the US has carried out 40 airstrikes, the highest within the same period in previous outings. For instance, the troops under US Africa Command fired 63 airstrikes in 2019, which left dozens of militants dead.

To date, the drone strikes have left 60 Al-Shabaab militants dead, Gen. Stephen Townsend said. But in a press conference recently, the military boss also conceded that two innocent civilians were killed in Jilib and Bush Madina.

SNA troops from elite Danab and Gorgor have been targeting hideouts for the militants in central and southern Somalia, a move informed by ongoing nationwide plans to have them take over security duties once AU forces leave.

Ambassador Francisco Madeira, the AMISOM boss, said the peacekeeping troops would leave Somalia by 2021. Already, at least 1,000 left in March, paving way for the systematic transition in Somalia.

The country is set to hold elections later on this year, in which the AU forces and SNA troops are expected to play key security roles. There are close to 22,000 AU forces in Somalia according to Lt. Gen Tigabu Yilma, the force commander.

GAROWE ONLINE