The US and Somalia launched airstrikes against Islamic extremists during the fight for strategic central town control, the government said.
The “well-aligned” strike at Adan Yabar, north of the capital Mogadishu, comes hours after Al-Shabaab raided the town, which will be used as a key launchpad in military operations.
Among the 12 militants killed in the airstrike were several senior fighters from the group linked to al-Qaeda, the Somali Ministry of Information said in a statement from X.
The latest fight comes amid fears of a jihadist revival in Somalia after growing extremist attacks, including last month’s attacks targeting President Hassan Sheikh Mohamd’s convoy.
Al-Shabaab, who controls most of southern and central Somalia, has been fighting the government for nearly 20 years. They are trying to overthrow the federal government and establish an Islamic state.
Africa’s union-led peacekeeping forces helped push jihadists into the defense in 2022 and 2023, but the group has maintained a major threat against it despite many military operations.
The Somali government claims the group is weakening.
“In the second half of Wednesday, airstrikes by Somali forces and the US African Command (Africom) aimed to neutralize the threat posed by extremists,” the Ministry of Information said.
“The targeted strike was attacked by sites that extremists used as rallies and hideouts,” he said, adding that “the important thing was no civilian casualties.”
Adan Yabar of the Mid-Shabel Region was seized by Al-Shabaab in 2016 and then recaptured by government forces in 2022.
A fierce battle broke out early Wednesday after Al-Shabaab fighters stormed the town with heavy explosives.
The group then said they had captured the town. Two local residents told AFP news agency that extremists controlled Adan Yabar.
The government did not say who currently controls the town.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamd visited town last month to meet with military commanders, highlighting the strategic significance of fighting extremists.
In another incident, the military said it killed at least 35 fighter jets near Baidoa city on Thursday.
President Mohamd downed al-Shabaab’s progress by saying that an occasional battlefield retreat was inevitable. He claims his government is determined to defeat the extremists.
