By Shire Abdi - Reporter
Somalia, 18 January 2026 The Somali National Army (SNA) foiled an Al-Shabaab attack early Sunday morning in the Jabad Godane area of the Middle Shabelle region, the Ministry of Defence said.
In a press release, the Ministry confirmed that government forces are in full control of the area after inflicting a "heavy defeat" on the militants.
"The army is now in complete control of the area after the enemy suffered significant losses and casualties," the Ministry stated. It added that extensive operations are ongoing, including clearing the area and securing it to prevent any regrouping attempts by the group.
On the other hand, Al-Shabaab also commented on the attack, claiming that they had inflicted casualties on the government forces.
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This attack follows air strikes conducted earlier this month in the same area, which reportedly killed over 40 Al-Shabaab members and destroyed vehicles carrying explosives.
Since 2022, the Somali government has been leading a major offensive to clear Al-Shabaab from the country, which has resulted in the recovery of key areas that the group had controlled for over a decade.
As is common in these conflicts, both sides have provided conflicting reports regarding casualties, and it remains difficult to independently verify the official number of deaths and injuries.
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