US Conducts Airstrike, Somalian Military Kills 81 Al-Shabaab Militants in Jubbaland Offensive
Somali National Army Danab soldiers at a graduation ceremony Credit: Cpt. Darryl Padgett / U.S. Army
EAST AFRICA: The Somali National Armed Forces and Jubbaland Security Forces killed 81 al-Shabaab militants across multiple southern regions over April 14 to 15, Somalia’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) stated in two press releases. International partner airstrikes supported the ground operations.
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) separately said it conducted a strike targeting al-Shabaab on April 9 “in the vicinity of Qalay, approximately 131 km northwest of Kismayo.”
The MoD said on April 14 that Somali and Jubbaland forces “are conducting a large-scale operation in areas of Lower Jubba and Middle Jubba regions.”
The operations targeted areas under Jilib, Xagar, and Afmadow districts, where “the forces have advanced on the ground.”
A follow-up MoD press release on April 15 assessed the operation had expanded to Tardho, Hiiraan, Ugunji, Shabeellaha Hoose, Daynuunay, Baay, Qumbi, and Jubbada Hoose.
April 14: 27 Killed in Jubbaland Ground Offensive
The MoD said on April 14 that “the operation dealt a major blow to Al-Shabaab, with 27 militants neutralised, including key members of the terrorist group.”
Somali forces seized “weapons and military equipment, including BKM (Berezin heavy machine gun) machine guns, RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) and AK-47 rifles, as well as landmines that the terrorists had intended to use against civilians.”
The MoD added that “airstrikes supported by international partners were carried out in parallel, effectively intensifying the targeting of Al-Shabaab militants hiding in those areas.”
The MoD did not identify the international partners by name. AFRICOM reported a strike targeting al-Shabaab on April 9 in the same operational area, near Qalay in the Lower Jubba region.
Assessment: The MoD’s reference to “international partners” providing airstrikes is consistent with AFRICOM’s pattern of operations in southern Somalia.
AFRICOM’s April 9 strike near Qalay, 131 kilometers northwest of Kismayo, falls within the same Lower Jubba operational area the MoD press release identified. Whether the April 14 airstrikes were conducted by the same partner has not been independently verified.
April 15: 54 Killed as Operations Expand
The MoD stated on April 15 that six airstrikes, carried out “in coordination with international partners,” targeted al-Shabaab positions in four regions: Tardho in Hiiraan, Ugunji in Lower Shabelle, Daynuunaay in Bay, and Qumbi in Lower Jubba. The MoD stated: “The airstrikes killed 54 Al-Shabaab militants and wounded several others.”
The MoD added that the strikes “successfully targeted supply stockpiles, significantly weakening the group’s logistical capacity, mobility and ability to organise attacks against Somali civilians.”
The geographic expansion from three districts in Lower and Middle Jubba on April 14 to four additional regions spanning southern Somalia on April 15 indicates a coordinated multi-axis campaign rather than a single localized action.
Assessment: The combined 81 killed across two days, if accurate, is the largest announced single-campaign al-Shabaab casualty figure since the Somali Armed Forces’ March offensive in the Lower Shabelle region.
The expansion from Jubbaland into Hiiraan and Shabeellaha Hoose indicates the offensive is moving northwest along al-Shabaab’s corridor between Mogadishu and its southern strongholds. All casualty figures are sourced exclusively from the Somali MoD; no independent verification or al-Shabaab response has been identified.
