Somalia: SNA denies claims of ‘terrorist attack’ in Afgoye town

The command of the Somali military in the Lower Shabelle region termed ”baseless” claims of an Al-Shabaab attack in Afgoye, a key agriculture town near the capital.

Abdirizak Ahmed, a senior army officer said no fighting or assault by the Al-Qaeda-linked militants took place in the city on Sunday night, refuting the reports by some local media.

Early reports suggested that the SNA engaged in a gunfight with Al-Shabaab after a simultaneous raids on bases in Mukuyga and Hanta-Dheere locations in the outer side.

The army repelled a coordinated attacktargeting their camps by Al-Shabaab attackers, who later encountered losses at the hands of the government troops.

Lower Shabelle is the most miltarized region in southern Somalia, where Al-Shabaab faces offensive and airstrikes by SNA, AU troops and the US military which has a done base in Baled-dogle airfield.

Al-Shabab has been under pressure since August 2022, when President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud began a concerted offensive against them, supported by the United States and clan militias locally known as Macawisley, or “men with sarongs.”