Peacekeepers and Al-Shabaab Clash Over Key Somali Town

International peacekeepers are currently engaged in fierce combat with radical Islamist militants as they strive to regain control of a strategic Somali town, the African Union mission in Somalia confirmed on Sunday.

Since early 2024, the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group Al-Shabaab has captured numerous towns and villages across Somalia, effectively reversing almost all the territorial gains made by the Somali National Army throughout 2022 and 2023.

On Friday, following a series of setbacks, the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) launched a major offensive to retake Bariire — a town situated approximately 100 kilometres west of Mogadishu in the Bas-Shabelle region.

Bariire, home to a vital military operational base, was seized by Al-Shabaab in March without resistance after Somali troops withdrew. Following the capture, jihadists destroyed a key bridge crucial to the army’s supply routes.

Refuting Al-Shabaab’s claims of significant army casualties in the ongoing attempts to reclaim Bariire, AUSSOM stated on Sunday that the clashes had resulted in the deaths of 50 Al-Shabaab militants, with many others reportedly sustaining serious injuries.

Despite AUSSOM’s considerable troop presence exceeding 10,000 personnel in Somalia, Al-Shabaab has scored several successes in recent months against both the peacekeeping forces and the Somali army.

Notably:

• At the end of June, Al-Shabaab militants killed at least seven Ugandan soldiers deployed to another town within the Bas-Shabelle region.
• In March, the group claimed responsibility for an attack that narrowly missed the convoy of Somalia’s President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
• In April, Al-Shabaab launched gunfire attacks targeting Mogadishu’s airport, the capital’s principal air facility.

The ongoing conflict underscores the persistent instability in Somalia and highlights the challenges faced by international forces and the Somali government in their efforts to curb militant advances and restore order in the region.