Al-Shabaab militants engaged villagers in central Somalia in violent clashes on January 29, 2022.
According to sources, the clashes took place in Muku Dhere village in central Somalia.
The village is roughly 13kms away from Bal’ad Town.
For around two years, Al-Shabaab extremists have fought and clashed with the villagers at various times.
Friday’s clashes started when Al-Shabaab fighters attacked several women.
Apparently, the women supported the presence of federal government forces in the region.
The government deployed Somali National Army (SNA) forces in the region over the last three weeks.
SNA troops together with African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces are in the region to eradicate Al-Shabaab militants.
Villagers fled their homes when the militants attacked.
When they returned several hours later, they discovered that the militants had torched and razed several houses to the ground.