Somali forces encircle Al-Shabaab fighters in small town

The governor said members of Al-Shabaab are regrouping in the Bakool region to reinforce their colleagues barricaded in the Hiran region who are on the brink to surrender to the army.

News Keydmedia Online
10 October 2022

BULO BURDE, Somalia -  Dozens of Al-Shabaab militants were killed in a ten-hour battle on Sunday near the town of Bulo Burde in the Hiran region of central Somalia, an official said.

Buulo-burde district commissioner, Osman Gedi said that the war started when Al-Shabaab attacked the government forces in the area in Jicibow, which is about 30km from the town.

Gedi added that Al-Shabaab suffered heavy losses in the war and that they were besieged in the mountainous area near Jicibow by the government forces and the local residents.

The governor said members of Al-Shabaab are regrouping in the Bakool region to reinforce their colleagues barricaded in the Hiran region who are on the brink to surrender to the army.

The fighting which enters the third day is part of a major operation aimed to retake the areas around Bulo Burde, which has been under the Al-Shabaab blockade for the last 13 years.

The army radio reports that 200 Al-Shabaab members were killed in a repelled attack on Jicibow village in the Hiran region on Sunday. There was no independent source confirming the claim.

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