(16-09-23) MOGADISHU — Early Saturday morning, warplanes struck multiple targets in the Eel-Lahelay area in central Somalia’s Galgaduud region. The aerial assault came on the heels of intense fighting between Al-Shabaab militants and Somali government forces on Friday. While the official casualty count remains undisclosed, local sources report that the situation is highly volatile.
The airstrikes, believed to be carried out by the U.S. military, began at dawn, targeting locations suspected of housing Al-Shabaab fighters. As of this writing, neither Galmudug state officials nor the Somali federal government have issued statements regarding the attack.
Friday’s skirmish resulted in significant losses for both sides. Government forces claimed to have taken control of the village, despite Al-Shabaab-affiliated media releasing photos of captured military equipment from Somali troops.
Defence Minister Abdukadir Mohamed Nur was present in Eel-Lahelay amid the hostilities, underlining the area’s strategic importance in the broader fight against Al-Shabaab. The extremist group is currently engaged in conflicts on multiple fronts in Galmudug, including in Eel-Lahelay, Hinlebi, and Las-Gacamey.
The aerial assault follows a separate incident on Friday—a suicide bombing that targeted the residence of Galmudug’s president and members of the Somali Federal Parliament. This attack adds another layer of complexity to an already precarious security situation in the region.
