Somali and U.S. forces carried out an airstrike that killed 12 Al-Shabaab militants in Adan Yabaal, a town 220 kilometers (140 miles) north of Mogadishu, according to a statement released Thursday by the Somali government.
The joint operation, conducted on Wednesday night with support from the U.S. Africa Command, targeted a site used by Al-Shabaab as a hideout and gathering point. The Ministry of Information said the strike was intended to “neutralize the threat” posed by the group, and initial reports confirmed the deaths of 12 militants, including senior leaders.
This strike came shortly after Al-Shabaab launched a major assault on Adan Yabaal, a strategic town reclaimed from the group in December 2022 during a Somali-led offensive supported by African Union peacekeeping forces.
Militants began their raid early Wednesday with truck bombs before storming the town. A military source noted that reinforcements were being sent to repel the attackers, but residents told AFP that Al-Shabaab had overrun the area.
The attack follows a surge in militant activity, including an assault on a convoy linked to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, raising concerns of a resurgence by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated group. The president had recently visited Adan Yabaal to assess ongoing military operations.
In a separate incident in the southwest, Somali forces and their allies repelled an assault on a military base near Baidoa early Thursday, killing 35 Al-Shabaab fighters, according to the government.
