The U.S. military carried out an airstrike in Biyo Adde town after Al Shabab captured it on Saturday following heavy fighting.
Biyo Adde is a key location critical for defending Jowhar, the capital of Hirshabelle State, 91 km north of Mogadishu.
Somalia’s Ministry of Information said the strike killed 44 militants and destroyed three battlewagons late on Saturday.
The ministry also reported another strike in Elbraf area, destroying vehicles carrying militants on Sunday.
It is unclear how many were killed in the second strike.
On Sunday, Al Shabab released photos it claims are from Saturday’s attack on Biyo Adde.
The group claimed to have killed 13 soldiers and burned an army base. The claim has yet to be verified.
Heavily armed militants were also seen standing at a small statue in the city and at an army base.
On Sep 17, 2023, African Union forces from Burundi handed over the Biyo Adde forward operating base to the SNA forces.
Saturday’s attack came a day after the group claimed to have killed 23 soldiers in a dawn attack on Bal’ad, about 31km from Mogadishu.
The group has stepped up its attacks across the Middle Shabelle and Hiran regions over the last two weeks.
Driven out of Mogadishu in 2011, Al-Shabaab continues to carry out deadly attacks.
For over a decade, the group has been battling to impose a hardline interpretation of Sharia law in Somalia.
Al-Shabaab still controls large swaths of southern and central Somalia
