Sunday 25, Jan 2026 {HMC} Somali officials say the number of As militants killed during a foiled attack on the coastal town of Kudhaa in the Lower Juba region has risen to about 250, marking one of the deadliest setbacks for the group in recent months.
The governor of Badhaadhe district, Hassan Nur Abdi, said Saturday that government and allied forces inflicted heavy losses on the militants after repelling their assault on Kudhaa Island and surrounding areas.
“The enemy attacked us and we pushed them back decisively,” Abdi said. “The confirmed death toll among Al-Shabab fighters is now 250. Additional bodies are still being recovered, but this figure has been verified.”
Abdi said eight As militants were captured during the fighting and that at least eight of the group’s combat vehicles were destroyed. He described the losses as “irreparable” for the militant group and suggested the scale of the defeat would significantly weaken its ability to operate in Jubbaland.
“The Khawarij have suffered a crushing blow here,” he said, using a term commonly applied by Somali officials to As . “I do not believe they will be able to return to Jubbaland areas in the near future.”
The fighting followed a coordinated Al-Shabab attack on Kudhaa, which Somali forces said was aimed at overrunning the town. Government troops, including elite Danab units and Jubbaland forces, responded with sustained ground operations supported by international partners.
Officials said pursuit operations are continuing in nearby areas to prevent surviving militants from regrouping. Abdi said the security situation in Kudhaa has stabilized and that civilians displaced by the fighting have begun returning to their homes.
Al-Shabab has not commented on the reported casualty figures. The group frequently launches complex attacks on military targets in southern Somalia but rarely acknowledges losses on this scale.
The Kudhaa battle comes as Somali authorities intensify operations across Lower and Middle Juba, seeking to dismantle militant strongholds and secure key coastal and rural areas.
Source hiiraan Online
