MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud abruptly left the embattled frontline town of Adale on Wednesday, retreating under security advisement as Al-Shabaab militants advanced dangerously close to his position.
His departure came just hours after insurgents seized Masajid Ali Gadud and a nearby village—merely 24 kilometers from his base—marking a dramatic reversal for government forces.
Mohamud’s office confirmed Thursday that he had flown to Ankara at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for urgent talks on bolstering military cooperation against Al-Shabaab. The trip signals Mogadishu’s desperation for expanded Ethiopian ground support, as airstrikes alone have failed to stem the militants’ relentless push.
Turkey, a key ally, has recently deployed advanced Akinci drones to Mogadishu, though their operational status remains unclear. For years, Ankara has conducted strikes using Bayraktar TB2 drones—yet Al-Shabaab’s resilience has only hardened, exposing the limits of aerial campaigns without robust ground offensives.
The president’s retreat underscores the Somali army’s near-collapse, with frontline defenses crumbling after the loss of Masajid Ali Gadud—a strategic town where government forces had launched a major offensive in 2022. The fall of the town now threatens to unravel hard-won gains, leaving authorities scrambling to regroup.
As Al-Shabaab tightens its grip, Mohamud’s Ankara visit may be a last-ditch bid to secure the heavy reinforcements needed to avert a full-scale military collapse. But with militants advancing unchecked, time is running out.
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