Al Shabaab militants launched an attack on the town of Adan Yabaal in central Somalia on Wednesday, a key staging area for government forces in their efforts to push back the insurgents. The attack comes amid rising fears over the group’s ongoing advance and the potential threat to the capital, Mogadishu.
Al Shabaab’s recent gains include briefly capturing villages as close as 50 km (30 miles) from Mogadishu last month. Although the Somali military has since recaptured those areas, the insurgents have continued their offensive in the countryside, prompting the government to deploy additional police officers and prison guards to bolster military forces.
Adan Yabaal, located approximately 245 kilometers north of Mogadishu, has been used as a strategic base for government raids against the militants. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, a native of the area, visited the town last month to meet military commanders and discuss reinforcements.
Residents of Adan Yabaal described the attack, with one local, Fatuma Nur, telling Reuters that after early morning prayers, they heard a powerful explosion followed by gunfire. “Al Shabaab attacked us from two directions. I am indoors, and fighting is still going on,” she said.
The outcome of the battle remains unclear, with conflicting reports from both government forces and Al Shabaab. Captain Hussein Olow, a military officer in Adan Yabaal, claimed that government troops had successfully repelled the militants. However, Al Shabaab issued a statement claiming responsibility for overrunning 10 military installations and capturing the town.
This escalation of violence comes at a time of growing uncertainty surrounding international security support for Somalia. A new African Union peacekeeping mission replaced the larger force at the start of the year, but its funding remains precarious, with the United States opposing a proposed shift to a U.N. financing model.
