Somali Govt dispatches troops to Hiran to join war on Al-Shabaab

The Turkish-trained soldiers will join their colleagues in the army carrying out the operations in the areas near Moqokori, El-Ali, and other towns, where Al-Shabaab is reportedly regrouping for a counterattack.

News Keydmedia Online
5 October 2022

MOGADISHU, Somalia – The Government of Somalia on Wednesday sent hundreds of elite forces from the Gorgor brigade from Mogadishu to the Hiran region to join the ongoing offensive against Al-Shabaab.

A plane carrying the special forces landed at the Khalif Airport in Beledweyne, the regional capital of Hiran, about 350 kilometers north of the Somali capital. This comes ahead of the president’s frontline visit.

The Turkish-trained soldiers will join their colleagues in the army carrying out the operations in the areas near Moqokori, El-Ali, and other towns, where Al-Shabaab is reportedly regrouping for a counterattack.

Al-Shabaab is facing the biggest offensive since 2011 in the Hiran, Middle Shabelle, and Galgadud regions, where the Somali military backed by pro-government militia has removed Al-Shabaab from many villages.

After having faced pressure from multiple fronts, the group staged triple deadly suicide bombings in Beledweyne, targeting Lama Galay base camp and a hospital on Monday, killing at least 40 people.

The dead include minister of health for the HirShabelle regional state, the deputy Hiran governor, and other officials who were at Lama Galay at the time of the first truck bomb attack, according to the police.

KEYDMEDIA English