(14 Mar 2024) BUULO-BURDE (Halqabsi News) – Somali diaspora communities have delivered critical aid, including livestock and food supplies, to Macawiisley militias and Somali National Army forces battling Al-Shabaab in central Somalia’s Hiiraan region, a strategic area bordering Ethiopia.
The supplies, aimed at sustaining frontline troops, were distributed on Thursday in Halgan and Buulo-Burde, towns centre to operations targeting Al-Shabaab’s hold along the Shabelle River—a lifeline the militants use for taxation and logistics.
At the handover ceremony, buulo-Burde Deputy District Commissioner Jaliil Ise Foodadde hailed the diaspora’s contribution: “This solidarity fuels our fighters’ resolve to liberate every village from Al-Shabaab’s terror.” Local elder Nabadoon Xaraare added, “Our sons abroad remind us that this war is waged by all Somalis, everywhere.”
The Hiiraan offensive, part of Somalia’s U.S.-backed “total war” strategy, has seen Macawiisley forces and SNA troops clear over 50 villages since 2023. However, Al-Shabaab retains pockets of resistance, relying on IEDs and ambushes to slow advances.
Halqabsi News
