868 Al-Shabaab militants killed since February - Somali Defence Ministry
According to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, Somalia ranked seventh in 2024 among countries most impacted by terrorism, with Al Shabaab responsible for most attacks.
Somalia has intensified its fight against terrorism this year, launching 220 precision airstrikes that have killed 868 militants since February.
Somalia's Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim announced the figures before Parliament's Upper House on Wednesday, noting that the strikes, backed by international partners, targeted Al-Shabaab and ISIS-linked Daesh networks across several regions, resulting in the deaths of 52 senior commanders.
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"Through extensive counterterrorism operations, the forces have defended the country and liberated vast territories from terrorist control," he said.
Somali authorities, including the National Armed Forces, have been targeting Al-Shabaab strongholds across southern and central regions to dismantle the group's operational network and reclaim territory under its control.
In recent operations, the Somali army confirmed the killing of senior Al-Shabaab commander Mahmoud Abdi Hamud, also known as Jaafar Gurey, in an airstrike in Central Juba in October. Mahmoud was a founding member of the group and a close ally of its leaders Ahmed Abdi Godane and Ahmed Diriye.
In late September, the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) announced the killing of Al-Shabaab leader Abdi Xiiray and two other commanders in an operation in Mokhakori district.
Earlier that month, NISA also eliminated senior commander Mohamed Abdi Dhiblawe in Ugunji village, who was believed to have planned the March attack on President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's convoy in Mogadishu.
Further, the defence minister praised the army for their courage and resilience in reclaiming large territories from militant control and strengthening national security.
On his part, SNA CDF, General Odowa Yusuf Rage, highlighted the progress and reforms within the Somali forces, stressing efforts to restructure and professionalise the army into a capable, disciplined, and self-reliant force.
He similarly reaffirmed the army's commitment to ongoing training, reforms and capacity-building to ensure the military can effectively meet all national security challenges.
According to the 2025 Global Terrorism Index, Somalia ranked seventh in 2024 among countries most impacted by terrorism, with Al Shabaab responsible for most attacks.
"The highest proportion of Al-Shabaab attacks in 2024 was targeted towards the military, representing almost 40 per cent of the total, followed by civilians at 28 per cent. However, civilians made up the majority of casualties, with 132 deaths, a third of those killed in al-Shabaab attacks in 2024," the index reads.
The index further notes that Al-Shabaab killed an additional 121 military personnel, accounting for 31 per cent of all the people they killed last year.
"Al-Shabaab has consistently utilised bombings and armed assaults as its main modes of attack. Just over half of terrorism deaths attributed to al-Shabaab in 2024 were the result of bombings, while armed assaults accounted for almost a third of deaths," the index reads.
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