Wednesday April 16, 2025
Somali government-backed Ma’awisley fighters regroup on the outskirts of Aboorey in Hiiraan’s Buulaburte district on April 16, 2025, following recent clashes with Al-Shabaab militants. The town has seen heavy fighting amid a wider militant resurgence in central Somalia.
Beledweyne (HOL) — Somali government forces and allied local militias have withdrawn from Aboorey, a strategic town in central Somalia’s Hiiraan region, after two weeks of intense fighting with Al-Shabaab militants, defence officials confirmed Wednesday.
The pullback marks a major reversal in a contested area that Somali forces had cleared out just eight days earlier in a counteroffensive that involved ground forces and possible aerial operations. Among those killed was Asad Osman Afrah, commander of the 163rd Battalion under the Danab Brigade’s 16th unit, an elite special forces group trained by international partners.
Officials described the retreat as a tactical maneuver, stating that troops would return to Aboorey once conditions allow. However, the Somali National Army’s central command has yet to issue a public statement explaining the withdrawal or providing updated casualty figures.Aboorey, located in the Buulaburte district, holds strategic value due to its position along key supply routes connecting regions in central Somalia. The town had been a recent flashpoint in the government’s ongoing struggle to contain Al-Shabaab’s resurgence.
Efforts to independently verify the full scope of the battle remain difficult due to a telecommunications blackout affecting Aboorey and surrounding areas.
The setback in Aboorey is part of a broader challenge facing Somalia’s counterinsurgency campaign. On Wednesday, Al-Shabaab militants captured the strategic town of Aadan Yabaal in the Middle Shabelle region following a prolonged assault that forced government forces and local militias to retreat. The town, once a key forward operating base reclaimed during the 2022 offensive, had served as a critical hub for operations targeting militant strongholds in central Somalia.
Despite high-profile gains made during the 2022 Somali-led offensive—backed by international partners including the United States and Türkiye—forces have struggled to hold recaptured territory due to overstretched logistics, inconsistent reinforcements, and sustained militant pressure.
