Baidoa, Somalia — Ethiopian troops under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) provided vital military support to Somali security forces and Southwest Darawish troops to successfully defend against a coordinated Al-Shabaab attack on the Bay Durjed Forward Operating Base (FOB), located 12 km east of Baidoa.
The assault began with heavy fire directed at Darawish troops stationed at the base.
However, rapid reinforcements from AUSSOM’s Ethiopian forces at the nearby Sector 3 Headquarters allowed the base to regain full control.
Following the successful defense, a clearance operation was conducted to secure the surrounding area.
This is the second attempt by Al-Shabaab to overrun the base this year, with a similar attack on 17 April also repelled by Somali security forces.
The successful joint response underscores the ongoing collaboration between Somali forces and their international partners to counter extremist threats in the region.