Airstrikes hit Aadan Yabaal following Al-Shabaab takeover

Somalia’s government said a U.S. airstrike killed 12 Al-Shabaab militants in Aadan Yabaal, shortly after the armed group captured the strategic town in Hirshabelle State on Wednesday.

“With the support of U.S. Africa Command, the National Armed Forces conducted an airstrike in the Aadan Yabaal district, eliminating 12 Al-Shabaab terrorists,” state broadcaster SNTV reported. The U.S. military has not commented on the operation, and there was no information provided on possible civilian casualties.

Al-Shabaab fighters seized Aadan Yabaal following a coordinated assault on Somali army and allied militia positions. Local sources said the group took advantage of poor visibility caused by heavy rains to advance on the town undetected, despite previous air surveillance monitoring their movements.

The scale of casualties among government forces remains unclear, though some of the wounded were airlifted to Mogadishu for treatment, according to local media.

Somalia’s military chief Gen. Odawaa Yusuf Rageh, the head of the military court Col. Hassan Ali Shuute, several federal and regional lawmakers, and other local officials who were in Aadan Yabaal at the time of the assault were all reported safe.

Responding to growing public concern over the group’s ability to reclaim territory and reports of a possible offensive toward the capital, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said: “Some days Al-Shabaab defeats us, some days we defeat them. That doesn’t mean we’ve failed.”

The situation in Aadan Yabaal remains fluid, with reports indicating that allied government forces are preparing a counteroffensive to retake the town. Some analysts suggest that Al-Shabaab may eventually withdraw from the area due to the threat of sustained airstrikes.