Somali National Army units, operating alongside local community militias, have launched a coordinated offensive in Coosweyne in the Galgaduud region, killing Al-Shabaab militants and overrunning a fortified base used by the group to stage attacks in central Somalia.
According to security sources, the operation targeted Al-Shabaab positions on the outskirts of Coosweyne, where militants had established defensive trenches, weapons stores and command shelters to coordinate movements across Galgaduud. Government troops advanced with support from locally raised fighters familiar with the terrain, engaging insurgents in brief clashes before forcing them to withdraw and leaving several militants dead.
Officials say the capture of the base will disrupt Al-Shabaab’s ability to launch roadside bombings and raids on surrounding villages and key roads linking Galgaduud to other central regions. Community leaders involved in the operation described it as part of a broader effort to push the group out of rural strongholds by combining military pressure with local resistance.
The joint action in Coosweyne comes amid a wider campaign by the Somali government to mobilize clan-based militias alongside the national army, seeking to accelerate gains against Al-Shabaab in areas where the group has long exploited local grievances and weak state presence. Authorities have urged residents to cooperate with security forces as they fortify newly captured positions and work to prevent militants from regrouping or planting explosives in recaptured territory.
