MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s government forces say they have recaptured the strategic town of El-Dheer in the central Galgadud region, hours after it was briefly seized by the Al-Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabaab in a fierce gun battle.
Fighting erupted in the early hours of Friday morning, at around 4:00am local time, and raged well into the afternoon. Al-Shabaab militants overran key military positions and entered the town, marking one of their most significant incursions in the area in recent months.
The group later released images purporting to show its fighters standing at the town’s monument sign emblazoned with Eldheer and the Somali flag, alongside photos of what appeared to be slain soldiers and captured military vehicles – seemingly authenticating their brief seizure.
However, Somali authorities responded swiftly. By Friday afternoon, the Ministry of Defence released a video showing army commanders at the same monument, declaring the town had been retaken following a counteroffensive and clashes that lasted more than seven hours.
Speaking at a press briefing in Mogadishu, Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi confirmed that Al-Shabaab fighters had initially breached the town’s defences and staged a media campaign to assert control. But he said government troops, backed by U.S. airstrikes, had successfully pushed them back and were now pursuing the militants more than 20km outside the town.
“The air support from our international partners, especially the United States, played a critical role in breaking the insurgents’ advance,” Mr Fiqi said. “We thank them for their timely intervention.”
According to the minister, more than 60 Al-Shabaab fighters were killed during the battle – a figure closely mirroring the militant group’s own claim that it had inflicted 61 fatalities on government forces and wounded over 70 others.
Due to the remote location of El-Dheer and the lack of access for independent media, casualty figures from both sides remain unverified.
Al-Shabaab, which has been waging an insurgency against the internationally backed Somali government for over a decade, continues to pose a serious threat to national stability. Its ability to launch large-scale raids – even in areas retaken during previous offensives – underscores the group’s resilience.
El-Dheer is a strategically located town, lying approximately 350km north of the capital Mogadishu along the coastal corridor connecting Mogadishu to Harardhere. Control of the town is crucial for securing the broader Mudug and Galgadud regions, particularly for maintaining supply lines and communication routes between key government-held areas.
The town was among a handful of areas reclaimed during a major offensive launched by the Somali government and allied clan militias in the summer of 2022. While many of those early gains have since been reversed, El-Dheer has remained one of the few enduring footholds in central Somalia – making its recapture pivotal in the ongoing struggle for territorial control.
Observers warn that should El-Dheer fall again into militant hands, neighbouring coastal towns such as Masagaway, Harardhere, Mareeg, and Wargaadhi could also come under threat.
The Somali government has vowed to maintain pressure on Al-Shabaab and continue military operations in cooperation with international partners.
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