MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Al-Shabaab militants have made significant territorial gains in central Somalia’s Hiran region, capturing key towns and villages with little to no resistance, following their strategic seizure of Mahas on 17 July.
According to open-source intelligence and mapping accounts, including AAGA CAWLLAN, the group has steadily advanced westward, tightening its grip on the area between Mahas and Mataban – a strategically important town now under mounting threat. The Islamist group has also taken full control of the main roads linking Mahas to Baladweyne, the regional capital of Hiran, effectively isolating government forces and allied clan militias stationed there.
Residents in newly captured areas report that Al-Shabaab militants assured them they would not face retaliation, including members of the Mawisley militias. The Mawisley, a powerful clan-based force, had previously played a critical role in a 2022 joint offensive alongside Somali National Army troops – an operation supported by U.S. airpower – which succeeded in recapturing significant territory across Hiran and Middle Shabelle. However, nearly all those gains have since been reversed.
The resurgence of Al-Shabaab in the region comes amid growing criticism of the Somali government, which has paused offensive operations against the group. Opposition leaders have accused the current administration of focusing on political maneuvering and electoral plans aimed at extending President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s tenure – efforts that, they argue, are being pursued without national consensus and at the expense of the fight against terrorism.
With Al-Shabaab once again expanding its territorial control, pressure is mounting on Mogadishu to resume military operations and restore security in regions that had only recently been liberated.
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