Somalia army kills at least 30 Al-Shabaab militants in airstrikes

Members of the Somali National Army, paramilitary troops and local tribal forces conduct a cleanup operation against Al-Shabaab terrorists in the Lower Shabelle region on February 13, 2024. (Photo: SNTV)

By Bashir Mbuthia
Saturday, June 27, 2026

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Somalia has been battling the Al-Shabaab insurgency for years as part of an ongoing counterterrorism campaign across the country.

At least 30 Al-Shabaab militants were killed in a series of airstrikes carried out by the Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF) with support from international partners in the Middle Shabelle region this week, the country’s Defence Ministry has reported.

The strikes targeted what Somali authorities describe as militant bases in Gayfo, Ruun Idiris and Ali Gaduud, hitting locations allegedly used to recruit fighters, conduct training and stockpile weapons and other military equipment.

According to the ministry, the first strike was conducted on June 24 against a mobilisation centre in Gayfo, where fighters and a cache of weapons were targeted.

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Somalia has been battling the Al-Shabaab insurgency for years as part of an ongoing counterterrorism campaign across the country.

The latest operation comes nearly three weeks after Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) reported the killing of 28 militants during operations targeting Al-Shabaab fighters in the Middle Shabelle and Hiraan regions.

The militants were killed in two separate operations in Masaajid Ali Gaduud, Middle Shabelle, and Buq-aqable, Hiraan.

“Intelligence received by NISA indicated that approximately 70 militants were gathered in an area three kilometres south of Masaajid Ali Gaduud, who were armed with various weapons and were carrying out operations to disrupt security in the Middle Shabelle region,” MISA said earlier this month.

The first operation resulted in the elimination of 23 Al-Shabaab militants. In the second operation in Buq-aqable, five militants were killed, including a senior Al-Shabaab commander identified as Abdirahman Abdi Mutallib.