Saturday September 13, 2025 {HMC} Galmudug regional leader Ahmed Abdi Kariye has commended the Somali National Army (SNA) and local militia forces for foiling an Al-Shabaab attack in the El-Dheer district of the Galguduud region on Friday.
In a statement, Kariye said the Somali forces and allied fighters had inflicted heavy casualties on the militant group.
“The strength of the country and the people of El-Dheer— you have taught an unforgettable lesson this morning to the terrorists who attacked you. You have sent a message of courage that shows the days of terrorists hiding inside our country to harm our honorable people are running out,” Kariye declared.
Somalia’s Defence Ministry said more than 30 Al-Shabaab militants were killed after government forces and allied militias repelled a dawn assault, the heaviest fighting reported in central Galgaduud this week.
According to the ministry, six soldiers were killed and 14 others wounded in the clashes, while several Al-Shabaab commanders known for targeting civilians were captured. Residents told Hiiraan Online that militant bodies remained scattered outside the town, underscoring the scale of the losses.
Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi praised the joint forces for “bravely defending El-Dheer” and noted that militants had been unable to retrieve their dead and wounded.
Al-Shabaab later claimed online that it had captured El-Dheer and killed government soldiers. However, those claims could not be independently verified. District Commissioner Abdirahman Ahmed Omar dismissed the group’s statement as “fabricated propaganda meant to mislead the public.”
Source Hiiraan online
