Counterterrorism assets continue to mount pressure on Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Shabaab in southern Somalia. In the past few days, the US-trained Elite Danab forces have conducted intensive campaigns especially in Lower Juba in an effort to dislodge Al-Shabaab militants group,which has also increased activities in this region of Somalia.
According to military sources, Danab forces launched a massive military operation against Al-Shabaab positions, capturing at lest four villages near the port city f Kismayo in Lower Juba, southern Somalia.
The sources forces that the special forces unit seized Janaa-Abdale, Helishid, Mayonde, and Garascebe villages where Al-Shabaab militants have persistently been attacks against government and partner forces for years. The liberation of villages comes less than a week after the forces liberated other villages including Hawaljiri, Bernasey, Yaq-Bishaar and Osbo.
The Somali forces backed by U.S. and African Union peacekeeping mission, are conducting operations against Al-Shabaab in Somalia to degrade the group’s ability to recruit, train and plot internal and external attacks though territorial control in southern and central Somalia remains fluid.
Despite facing defeats from joint CT-operations, Al-Shabaab still controls about a fifth of Somalia territory, taking control of large parts of rural Lower Jubba and almost all of Middle Juba, carrying out deadly attacks against government and AMISOM peacekeeping troops in both regions.
