MASAGAWAY, Somalia – The Al-Qaeda-linked militant group Al-Shabaab launched a pre-dawn attack on a key town in central Somalia on Sunday morning, local officials said.
Mohamed Ereg, a senior Somali military official said government troops foiled the assault on Masagaway town after receiving prior information about the Al-Shabaab plot from the residents of a nearby locality.
The district is located east of Mudug region and it lies about 270 kilometers northeast of Mogadishuu, the Somali capital. There were reports of heavy casualties on both sides, but the exact number still remains unverified.
The town is among several key areas liberated from Al-Shabaab in 2022 during the all-out war started in August in the same year under the leadership of President Hassan Sheikh, whose government claimed major victory over the group.
After hours-long battle, Somali army managed to push back Al-Shabaab fighters from the town, said the army official. A Somali military helicopter was seen in video circulated on the social media evacuating wounded soldiers from the scene.
Since the army stalled the offensive, Al-Shabaab began attempts to regain control of it previous strongholds by targeting the military bases with suicide car bombs and direct gun attack in Mudug and Galgadud regions under Galmudug State of Somalia.
HORN LIFE
