Somalia: Heavy Fighting As Local Militia Attacks Al-Shabaab Bases in Central Somalia

Mogadishu — Heavy clashes erupted late Sunday after local Macawiisley militia fighters launched a coordinated attack on Al-Shabaab positions in the Goobo area, near Maxaas town in the central Somali region of Hiiraan, local sources said Monday.

The Macawiisley fighters reportedly attacked Al-Shabaab bases from multiple directions, sparking intense gunfire that lasted for hours. Witnesses said both sides used heavy and light weapons during the confrontation.

Residents and security sources said the militia overran an Al-Shabaab outpost on the northern outskirts of Goobo, inflicting what was described as “significant losses” on the Islamist group.

“The fighters managed to capture the Al-Shabaab base and push the militants out of the area,” a local elder told Radio Shabelle by phone, adding that the battle was “one of the fiercest in recent weeks.”

The exact number of casualties remains unclear, as authorities and independent sources have yet to release confirmed figures for those killed or wounded in the fighting.

Goobo, a strategic settlement linking the Hiiraan and Galguduud regions, has been a flashpoint in ongoing clashes between Al-Shabaab and pro-government community militias.

Over recent months, Macawiisley fighters — mostly from the Hawadle clan — have intensified operations against Al-Shabaab in Hiiraan, vowing to expel the militants from remaining strongholds in the region.

Al-Shabaab, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda, has not yet commented on the latest attack.

By Shabelle.