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The Somali army, alongside international peacekeepers, has successfully recaptured the strategic town of Bariire from militants after more than a week of intense fighting, the country’s defence ministry announced on Friday.
Bariire, located approximately 100 kilometres west of the capital, Mogadishu, in the Bas-Shabelle region, fell to the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group in March following a retreat by Somali forces.
The militants destroyed a key bridge in the area, disrupting military supply lines.
Since early last year, Al-Shabaab has seized numerous towns and villages, eroding much of the progress made by Somalia’s army in 2022 and 2023.
On August 1, the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) launched an operation to retake Bariire, deploying federal troops and Ugandan forces.
After a week-long offensive, the defence ministry confirmed the town had been “fully secured,” claiming over 100 militants were killed.
“The forces are now conducting clearance operations in the town and surrounding areas, seizing a significant cache of weapons and military supplies,” the ministry added. No casualties were reported among the peacekeeping troops.
Despite AUSSOM’s presence of over 10,000 troops, Al-Shabaab has continued to score recent victories against the Somali army and peacekeepers, including a deadly attack in June that killed at least seven Ugandan soldiers.
The militants have also targeted high-profile locations, narrowly missing President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s convoy in March and shelling Mogadishu’s airport in April.
