Airstrikes conducted by KDF as part of a combined (AMISOM) offensive against Al Shabaab has killed over 27 terrorists in the Lower Jubba region. The regional authorities have confirmed the airstrikes and the casualty figures.
The Kenyan Air Force targeted Al Shabaab military bases located in Jamame, Bulo gudud, Jilib, Yontoy and Qaamqaam areas of Lower Jubba. The aerial campaign enabled AMISOM’s ground troops to conduct land operations against the terror group. The combined operation destroyed Al Shabaab military facilities and also destroyed a significant quantity of military resources owned by the terror group.
KDF has played a significant role in aiding AMISOM to degrade Al Shabaab military capacity in Somalia. Nonetheless, the terror group still retains the capacity to conduct low-scale hit-and-run attacks against government targets, AMISOM troops and Muslim clerics opposed to their terror ideology. The terror group has also stepped up attacks against rival Somali militias including Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jamaa (ASWJ).
ASWJ cleric assassinated.
Yesterday, unidentified assailants believed to be Al Shabaab militants assassinated a prominent Muslim cleric, Sheikh Hussein Hassan, in Baidoa – the regional capital of Bay region. The late sheikh was affiliated to ASWJ and was killed inside a mosque when he was performing his evening prayers. The Sheikh’s son was also injured during the incident and ASWJ has pledged retribution for the killing.
Intelligence reports have shown that Al Shabaab is migrating northwards after KDF and AMISOM offensives in Southern Somalia have considerably weakened the group’s grip on the territories it holds in the region.
