Monday June 16, 2025
Somali National Army soldiers patrol a rural area in Bakool during a multi-day offensive targeting Al-Shabaab hideouts, June 2025. The operation, supported by local Ma’awisleey fighters, aimed to dismantle militant bases and restore security in southwestern Somalia.
Baidoa (HOL) — Somali government troops have destroyed multiple Al-Shabaab bases in the Bakool region following a three-day military operation targeting militant hideouts across the southwestern countryside, security officials confirmed Monday.
The coordinated offensive, led by Capt. Elmi Adan Isaaq of the Somali National Army’s 9th Battalion under the 60th Division, swept through the villages of Lukugooraw, Haaway-Heedaw, Dabgal, and Eel-Lahelay. These areas had long served as staging grounds for the Al-Qaeda-linked group.
“Al-Shabaab militants fled before our forces reached several of their bases,” Capt. Isaaq told reporters. “They were unable to withstand the pressure and abandoned key hideouts.”
The commander said troops dismantled and destroyed fortified positions that the group had used for launching attacks and sheltering fighters.
Local self-defence militias known as Ma’awisleey, who have been instrumental in recent joint offensives, supported the Somali army during the operation. The government has increasingly relied on these community-based fighters to extend territorial control and improve intelligence gathering.
Al-Shabaab has waged an insurgency in Somalia since 2007. Despite losing large swaths of territory in recent years, the group continues to hold territory and conduct asymmetric attacks in Mogadishu and other parts of the country.
Federal authorities have pledged to maintain military pressure as part of a multi-phase campaign to restore peace and security across Somalia.