The U.S. ambassador to Somalia said that the Somali government’s military operations against al‑Shabab have reduced the militants’ control by one‑third. “Somali‑led offensives have restored Somalia’s sovereignty to one‑third of the territory formerly misruled by al‑Shabaab,” Larry André told VOA Somali in an email. “Ending al‑Shabab’s oppression is one step further toward Somalia’s full revival.”
Since January, the United States has supplied weapons to the Somali National Forces and trains an elite unit known as Danab (“lightning”), which has been leading the offensive against al‑Shabab. The Somali government reported that these operations have inflicted heavy losses on the militant group over the past six months. In a statement on March 25, the Ministry of Information said that 3,000 al‑Shabab militants were killed and 3,700 injured during the first phase of operations, which ran from August last year to January. The government also announced that 70 towns and villages have been liberated from al‑Shabab control.
Al‑Shabab, however, claims the first phase has failed. In an interview with an al‑Shabab‑affiliated radio station, spokesman Ali Mohamoud Rage (also known as Ali Dhere) accused the United States of mobilizing forces against the group and said the original plan was to eliminate al‑Shabab within six months. “The first phase of the operation concocted by the infidels has turned futile,” he said.
When VOA sought a response, senior Somali security official Kamal Dahir Hassan Gutale, national security adviser to Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, dismissed Dhere’s claims. “The definition of failure has to be revisited if liberating Middle Shabelle, Hiran, South Mudug and parts of Galgadud is a failure,” Gutale said. He credited the Somali people and government for the rapid successes of the security forces and called Dhere’s allegation that the U.S. directed the offensive “baseless.” “He is facing young Somali soldiers who are well‑trained, battle‑hardened, who took the battle towards the front lines,” Gutale added. “Let him face them – they have liberated over 500 km from al‑Shabab, and they are still after him.”
The government plans to launch the second phase of operations during Ramadan, but preparations have already attracted criticism. Former director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency, Abdullahi Mohamed Ali Sanbalolshe, told VOA that the upcoming offensive focuses more on the government and less on local fighters, who were crucial to the first phase’s relative success. He said local fighters have low awareness of the new offensive and that the government is downplaying the role of clans, locals, and states. “All Somalis were interested and were part of the first offensive—members of parliament, clan elders, business community, civil society, the diaspora,” Sanbalolshe said. “The participation of the clans in the second offensive is low; it appears confined to the government.”
Defense Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur rejected the criticism, emphasizing that the fight belongs to the Somali people and that past successes were achieved through collaboration with them. “Every area that is to be liberated, its people will be consulted and informed,” he said. Nur added that most locals do not need the government to inform them about military offensives because they actively seek support.
Mohamed Abdurahman contributed to this report.
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