Acidic Security

The Somali government has announced the successful takeover of Hawadley, a strategic area in Middle Shabelle, by security forces following a special operation aimed at weeding out Al-Shabaab from the region. A statement by the Somali government said the army, with support from local milita, killed more than 30 terrorists, including three of the group’s ringleaders, namely; Maadey Madobe, Hamali Kalombe, and Mukhtaar Gabigoor. The statement added that some terrorists were killed while trying to escape in their vehicles. The government has termed Haladey, a town about 30 km away from Balcad city, and 40kms north of Mogadishu, an important supply route through which the terrorists used to cross from the Lower Shabelle and Middle Shabelle regions and where they would converge to plan terrorist activities against the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

The Ministry of Trade and Commerce said today it will take action against businesses that aid Al-Shabaab activities by providing them with funds. The Ministry added that it will confiscate the property of companies known to be owned or have representatives from Al-Shabaab. The directive follows President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s announcement in July that the government will also target Al-Shabaab financing to cut off its lifeline. Al-Shabaab finances its activities mostly through forced ‘taxation’ of traders and transporters. A report by Mogadishu-based security think tank, Hiraal Institute in 2020 indicated that Al-Shabaab collects up to $11 million per month with more than half of this coming from the capital Mogadishu. The think tank also said in a recent report that the militant group spent $24 million on weapons acquisition in 2021. The directive comes a day after Somalia marked six years since the October 17, 2017 truck bombing that killed about 600 people and maimed over 100 othe

  The Al-Qaeda affiliated Al-Shabaab in Somalia continue to scale-up attacks in central and southern Somalia. In one of the latest attacks, Al-Shabaab has claimed credit for storming and overrunning two Somali National Army (SNA) camps in Yasooman and Beera-Yabaal in Bulo-Burte, Hiraan, central Somalia. The Islamist terrorist group issued a statement through its operations spokesman Abu Mus’ab claiming killing to have killed more than 117 SNA troops besides capturing trucks and weapons. However, SNA has disputed that their military bases were overrun as the Al-Shabaab media outlets/channels saying their troops managed to repel the attacks and causing significant blows to the terrorists. Odowaa Yusuf Rage, Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) confirmed of the deadly dawn attacks at SNA bases located Yasooman and Beera-Yabaal villages of Hiraan. He reiterated that SNA forces managed to repel and defeat the terrorists, killings about 50 of them. Hiraan prefecture of central Somalia has witnessed

  The Somali Government has launched a major military offensive in Middle Shabelle targeting the militant group al-Shabaab which controls many rural parts of the region.  The Federal Government has sent more troops to the area to boost ongoing military operations conducted by the Somali National Army.  More officers of the Somali National Army (SNA) have been taken to Raga Elle, Adan Yabaal and Addale to top up the contingent of soldiers already in the region. Senior leaders of the region, legislatures and interested community elders have also joined the frontlines in pursuit of the militants.  More troops are scheduled to arrive in Middle Shabelle as the war against al-Shabab intensifies.  The group retaliated, conducting coordinated attacks across the country following the renewed fight by the Somali Government.  On Friday, a top Somali police official and several of his guards were killed in a roadside bomb blast near the southern town of Balad. The attack involved a landmine that t

  The latest US airstrike that was conducted on October 1. in support of the Somali National Army (SNA) confirmed to have killed a top leader and a co-founder of the Al-Shabaab extremist group. In coordination with partner forces, US conducted the airstrike targeting Al-Shabaab network in the vicinity of Jilib, the extremist’s group headquarter, Middle Juba, about 370 kilometers from the capital Mogadishu. US Africa Command initial assessment indicated that the strike killed an Al-Shabaab leader and no civilians were killed or injured in the operation. Further reports now indicate that Al-Shabaab leader and co-founder of the group, Abdullahi Nadir was killed in this airstrike in Haramka village of Middle Juba region, southern Somalia. Abdullahi Nadir had a $3 million bounty on his head by the United States and the Somali government described him as one of the most resourceful members of Al-Shabaab. He had been close to the former emir of Al-Shabaab, Ahmed Abdi Godane, and current leade

  The Royal Moroccan Army has finalized the acquisition of military drones from China in a continued effort to arm and bolster its air defense capabilities. Moroccan has procured Wing Loong II medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) among other military systems. Wing Loong II drones are developed by Chinese Chengdu Aircraft Design & Research Institute, originally intended to bolster surveillance and reconnaissance missions. However, Wing Loong II has been fitted with notable capabilities such as an air-to-ground attack capability besides enhanced to fly for a maximum of 20 hours. Also, armed with turbocharged engine that allows the Wing Loong II drone to have a maximum speed of 370 kilometers (229 miles) per hour. Sources within the Royal Moroccan Military report that the Wing Loong II UAVs expected replace an older type of Chinese drone in the country’s military inventory. Morocco has increased interest in procuring military drones. The country has been inves

  DRC President Félix Tshisekedi has announced that his country is preparing to receive the East African Community (EAC) regional force that is set to be deployed in the eastern region to aid in the fight against Jihadis and rebels. According to Tshisekedi the Kenyan contingent is expected to deploy and had been dispatching their logistical support systems during the last week of September. The regional force is expected to be deployed in the Ituri, North, and South Kivu Provinces where the rebels are active and have caused the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent civilians. The Kenyan contingent will be the second after Burundian troops that deployed into South Kivu in August. According to preliminary intelligence, the aforementioned Kenyan contingent is projected to be in charge of a hot zone in Bunagana, near the border with Uganda. The area has been under the M23 rebels since June 14 in the group’s renewed fighting. The regional forces are expected to be made up of contingents f