MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Al-Shabaab militants have captured the strategic city of Adan Yabal in Somalia’s Center Shabelle area after intense clashes with authorities forces and allied clan militias, marking a big setback for the Somali military’s years-long offensive towards the insurgents.
The autumn of Adan Yabal offers a extreme blow to the federal government’s army marketing campaign, which had reclaimed a number of cities lately throughout Hiran, Center Shabelle, and Galgadud areas. The city, a key stronghold wrested from Al-Shabaab in late 2022, had been a flagship achieve within the military’s counterinsurgency efforts.
For months, the militants have been advancing towards Adan Yabal, systematically seizing surrounding villages to isolate authorities forces. Final week, they overran Aborey in Hiran area, forcing the military to divert assets to retake it—a tactical transfer that weakened defenses in Adan Yabal. Regardless of sustained authorities counterattacks in Aborey, Al-Shabaab launched a shock daybreak assault on Adan Yabal, overwhelming Somali troops.
In an extra show of tactical dominance, the militants additionally captured the village of Mubax to dam regrouping authorities forces and seized Yasooman, one other strategic city in Hiran, consolidating their grip on key provide routes.
Photos launched by Al-Shabaab present its fighters parading seized weapons and meals provides deserted by retreating Somali troops. The group’s fast positive aspects expose the fragility of the military’s defensive strains and lift questions in regards to the sustainability of the federal government’s much-touted offensive.
Somali officers have remained silent on the losses, as a substitute specializing in a controversial voter registration drive for a disputed one-person-one-vote election—a transfer critics say is an try to deflect consideration from the army’s crumbling frontlines. Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre formally registered for the polls on Wednesday, additional fueling accusations of misplaced priorities.
The autumn of Adan Yabal underscores the resilience of Al-Shabaab, which continues to take advantage of battlefield momentum regardless of sustained U.S. and African Union-backed operations. With the militants now controlling crucial terrain, the Somali authorities faces mounting stress to reassess its technique or threat additional reversals.
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