Somali Army Kills 25 Suspected Al Shabaab Members

The Somali army has killed about 25 suspected members of the Al Shabaab terrorist group, in operations it carried out on Wednesday in Mukayle, Hiran region, in central Somalia.

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The clash took place against a cell of a transport unit, in which one of the leaders of the group was killed. The Somali military managed to destroy four vehicles suspected of being used for attacks.

Security sources indicated that the operation was carried out in an area generally used as a safe haven for terrorists in the regions of Hiran, Galgadud and Middle Shabelle.

Somalia has stepped up offensives against Al Shabaab with the support of clans and local militias as part of a series of decisions taken by President Hassan Shaykh.

Mohamoud, who promised upon taking office to put the fight against terrorism at the heart of his efforts to stabilize the African country. Somalia has been fighting the Shabaab since 2007.

It was in June 2022, that the new Somali president, Hassa Sheikh Mohamoud, announced this "total war" against the Shabaab, relying on local militias in addition to the regular army. His fight is supported by the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), as well as by the American and Turkish armies.

However, the conflict has become too long to consider that the total war has fulfilled its objective. A long war ends up plunging any society into chaos, especially one plunged into sustained misery like the Somali one.

Most of the ills generated by the conflict fall on the population of the African country, which is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian disasters on the continent. In addition to the problems of the war, there are other problems related to climate change, especially an extensive drought that has deepened the problems of famine in the country.

In this context, the total war has only aggravated the living conditions of the population. This strategy obliges the military apparatus to have at its disposal all the material and human resources the country has.

Victory at any cost over the terrorist group may be a strategic success that only fulfills military objectives and ignores the population as a basic component to be protected from the effects of war. 

The Shabaab was born and has evolved as a Salafist jihadist militia whose priority is the Islamization of Somalia through the establishment of a Wahabi-style Islamic state.