The Federal Government of Somalia has confirmed that Somali National Army (SNA) forces and local community fighters repelled a major al-Shabaab assault on Eldheer district in Galgaduud region early Friday morning.
According to the Ministry of Defense, government troops, supported by local fighters, fought off an attempted al-Shabaab incursion into Eldheer town. Officials said the militants suffered heavy losses, with more than 30 fighters killed, including several well-known commanders. The army also reported capturing a number of militants alive.
The attack occurred at dawn on September 12, 2025, in Eldheer, a frontline town in central Somalia’s Galgaduud region that has frequently been targeted by al-Shabaab due to its strategic location.
Al-Shabaab has intensified attacks across central Somalia in recent months, seeking to disrupt ongoing military offensives aimed at dismantling its control in rural strongholds. Eldheer, recaptured by government forces in 2023 after years under militant rule, remains a key flashpoint in the fight against the group.
Somali officials described the battle as fierce, lasting several hours before troops regained full control of the town. “Our forces inflicted heavy losses on the enemy, killing over 30 terrorists and capturing several others, including notorious ringleaders,” the Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
The government acknowledged losses on its side, reporting that six soldiers were killed and 14 others wounded during the fighting. “They made the ultimate sacrifice defending their people and their nation,” the statement read.
Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, has waged an insurgency against Somalia’s federal government since 2007. Despite losing control of major cities, the group continues to launch deadly raids, suicide bombings, and ambushes across the country. The Somali government, backed by African Union forces and local militias, is currently waging a major offensive to degrade the group ahead of the planned drawdown of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
Somali forces remain deployed in and around Ceeldheer, carrying out follow-up operations to pursue fleeing militants and secure the area. Officials say the government is determined to prevent al-Shabaab from regaining ground, stressing that the fight in Galgaduud is central to Somalia’s wider campaign to restore stability and defeat extremism.
