Somali Forces Retake Baidoa After Killing Nearly 30 in Al-Shabaab-Backed Assault
Updated
Updated · Africanews English · Aug 17
Somali Forces Retake Baidoa After Killing Nearly 30 in Al-Shabaab-Backed Assault
3 articles · Updated · Africanews English · Aug 17
Summary
Federal troops said they regained full control of Baidoa on Monday after fighters loyal to ousted South West leader Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen briefly entered the city and later withdrew.
Nearly 30 militants were killed after the attackers struck army positions around 5 a.m. with explosives-laden vehicles, and Mogadishu accused Laftagareen's forces of fighting alongside Al-Shabaab.
Residents described hours of street battles, bodies on roads and prisoners taken, while Doctors Without Borders said several casualties reached its hospital from fighting on two fronts.
Baidoa has been under federal control since March, when the government removed Laftagareen; he also failed to retake the state in May.
The clash underscores how President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's push for broader democratic elections is colliding with clan rivalries, regional resistance and the long-running Al-Shabaab insurgency.