...... the personification of Somali state failure...-held territory in Lower Juba region on Sunday.
A senior military official confirmed that the allied forces swept into Qunbi location, where al-Shabaab used as a staging centre for years.
Following a heavy gunbattle, Somali forces took over the control from al-Shabaab fighters who fled to jungle, according to the residents.
The takeover came days after Jubaland president Ahmed Madobe pledged to start an offensive to liberate whole areas, including Middle Jubba region, where the al-Shabaab top leaders are believed to be stationed.
The recovered area lies near Afamdow on Somalia’s border with Kenya. The troops moved from Janay Abdalla, outside Kismaayo port city.
Jubaland enjoys Kenya military support as KDF protects Kismayo
...a port city in the southern Lower Juba province of Somalia, at the extreme southern end of the country (always assuming Somalia can be called a country). It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region....
port and key installations, including presidential palace.
Somalia carrying out a larger operation against al-Shabaab which was announced by president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud last year.
Dozens of areas in Galmudug
...a semiautonomous region in central Somalia, bordering Puntland on the north. Galmudug is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation, but rather considers itself autonomous within the larger Somali federalism, for what that's worth...
and Hirshabelle states were liberated and the president said the second phase for final push will kick off soon, per the government.
Somali National Army officers said that the army attacked the village from several directions, targeting al-Shabaab bully boyz gathering to carry out a terrorist attack.
Al-Shabaab has been trying to attack military bases as a retaliation to the ongoing military offensive across the country. The bully boyz have also started leaving strategic towns ahead of mega operations and in return, have always threatened civilians against embracing the current administration.
Al-Shabaab attack foiled in Jubaland state of Somalia
[Garowe] Security team drawn from the elite Darwish forces of Jubaland state suffered serious wounds over the weekend as they helped foil a serious al-Shabaab
...... the personification of Somali state failure...attack, authorities reported, which would have other two devastating impacts on the people of Somalia.
Sources from security teams said at least six members of Darwish forces were critically injured after the al-Shabaab attempted to attack an army base at Afmadow district within Lower Jubba, a region which is under the Kenya Defense Forces [KDF] who man Sector II of ATMIS.
Mahad Mohammed Islam, the commander of Darwish forces of the Jubaland regional army, said the military managed to detonate two trucks laden with explosives as they approached the security base. The al-Shabaab usually targets army bases across the country.
"We resisted the terrorist group's attack. So the enemy didn't do what they wanted because the first truck bomb went
kaboom!in a deserted area outside the camp, and the second one was hit with a rocket outside the district," Commander Mahad Mohammed Islam stated.
The incident triggered heavy gunfire in the region as the regional troops clashed with the forces of Evil who suffered an immense setback. Several al-Shabaab commanders were killed during the melee with weapons that are said to be sophisticated and also confiscated by the regional troops.
For decades, al-Shabaab forces of Evil have been targeting members of the security forces, often opening fire at the various army bases. In 2016, the forces of Evil managed to kill over 200 members of the Kenya Defense Forces at El-Adde before raiding Kulbiyow Forward Operating Base killing over 70 KDF soldiers.
But in return, the al-Shabaab who took responsibility for the attack at Afmadow, have also suffered losses across the country particularly in Galgaduud, Hiiraan, and Bay regions, with the Somali National Army coordinating operations against the group with assistance from the US Africa Command and the local militia.
Also helping with operations are the African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] troops who are set to hand over security responsibilities to the Somali National Army in the coming months. However,
there's more than one way to stuff a chicken...
security experts argue that the Somali force is not stable to take over from ATMIS at least within the next three years.