Two die as fighting flares up between IJa forces and Al-Shabab fighters

At least two people have died  and several others injured after Interim Jubba Administration forces supported by Kenyan soldiers who are part of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) clashed with Al-Shabaab in the outskirt of Qooqani town.

Local residents confirmed that there was a heavy exchange of gunfire between the militants and AMISOM forces. According to the residents, the joint forces launched attacks on military bases of Al-Shabab in Qoqani and Qabta villages.

SNA and AMISOM troops have since intensified their operations following the attack on Shahafi Hotel in the capital of Mogadishu on Sunday. Reacting to the incident, Somali President Hassan Shiekh Mohamud said the “’killing innocent people is not an act of Islam” and ordered the allied forces to strengthen the offensive in order ‘to eliminate these wolves’. On Monday alone, 16 Al-Shabaab militants were gunned down in heavy fighting, 10 in the southern town of Diinsoor and six in Bulo Burde district of Hiiraan region, in central Somalia.

In mid-July, the SNA launched the operation Jubba Corridor, which is supported by 20,000 soldiers from the AMISOM and includes troops from Kenya, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Djibouti. As a result, the allied forces regained the control of Bardere in Gedo region, which has been under control of the militant group for the last seven years.