MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Intense clashes between Al-Shabaab militants and Somali government forces, supported by local clan militias, flared up once again on Tuesday in the Hiran region of central Somalia, following a months-long hiatus in hostilities
The renewed fighting erupted on Monday after heavily armed militants launched a coordinated assault on military and militia positions near the village of Bero-yabal, located close to the central Somali town of Halgan.
The resurgence of violence comes just days after key Somali officials, including Ali Jayte, head of the President’s liaison office for clan militias, and Abdullahi Mohamed Sanbalolshe, Director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), began mobilizing troops and militias in preparation for a new confrontation with Al-Shabaab.
Casualties have been reported on both sides, though the exact toll remains unclear. Among those killed are military officers with close ties to Jayte, though the Somali army has not yet commented on the death count.
The clashes continue as Al-Shabaab seeks to extend its control further into eastern Hiran, a territory largely freed from the militants’ grip following a military campaign involving Somali forces, allied militias, and U.S. drone strikes between mid-2022 and 2023.
However, growing concerns are being raised about plans to push forces into western Hiran region, an area that has been under Al-Shabaab’s dominance for more than a decade without significant opposition. Questions abound as to how militias from eastern Hiran—drawn predominantly from a single clan—could effectively penetrate the western part of the region, where entirely different clans, with whom they have longstanding rivalries, reside. Many fear that such an operation could inadvertently strengthen Al-Shabaab’s position by deepening local clan divisions and further alienating communities, ultimately driving them toward the militants.
Additionally, the head of the Mawisley militia, a key figure from the eastern Hiran clans, recently declared that those living in Al-Shabaab-controlled areas of the western part of the region should be regarded as members of the group. This controversial statement has raised alarm among analysts and military officials, who argue that it may inadvertently consolidate local support for Al-Shabaab, compelling residents to fully align with the militants.
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