MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somali Special Forces have carried out air and ground operations against Al Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, in Sablaale town, Lower Shabelle region, about 200 km southwest of Mogadishu.
The strike in the Haway area has reportedly killed 12 militants, including three senior figures: Abu Yasir, originally from the northern regions and in charge of foreign security, Abdilatif Abu Zubeyr, a training officer, and Abu Ayub, the aerial chief of Al Shabaab.
The air raid targeted an area where militants, including senior figures, had gathered for a meeting as reported by Shabelle Media, a radio and TV station, based in Mogadishu.
It remains unclear which country conducted the strike, as both the U.S. and Turkey often provide aerial support to Somali forces when engaging militants. Neither Al Shabab group nor Somali authorities have commented on the raid.
Earlier this year, Somali media reported that Al-Shabaab’s top leader, Ahmed Diriye, alias Abu Ubaidah, was killed in a drone strike in the same area, but this turned out to be false. He has been leading the group for the last nine years, following the death of Ahmed Godane in a U.S. airstrike.
Despite losing control of several towns and fighters since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an “all-out war” against them last year, the militant group has intensified its guerrilla-style attacks on military bases, resulting in the deaths of dozens of soldiers.
Having been driven from Mogadishu in 2011 by Somali and African Union forces, the extremist group continues to carry out deadly attacks. For more than a decade, they have waged war to overthrow the Somali government and impose a hardline interpretation of Sharia law.
Al Shabaab still controls significant territory in southern and central Somalia, from which it is reported to launch attacks on Somali National Army bases, African Union peacekeepers, and the capital, Mogadishu.
