MOGADISHU: Somali National Army (SNA) troops, in coordination with local forces, conducted a military operation on Wednesday in the Boorey area, approximately 120 kilometers from Bahdo town in the Mudug region, successfully repelling Al-Shabaab militants. Army officials said the offensive is part of three simultaneous counter-terrorism operations targeting the militant group across the region. At least 13 fighters, including senior commanders, were killed during the engagement, while two others sustained serious injuries while fleeing. Authorities stated that ongoing efforts are focused on securing the area to prevent militant regrouping.
The operation in Boorey is part of an intensified military campaign against Al-Shabaab strongholds in central Somalia. The Somali National Army, supported by local forces, pushed back the militants in a coordinated push to degrade the group’s operational capacity in the region. The latest offensive comes as Somali forces, alongside local militias and international partners, continue to exert pressure across central and southern fronts to weaken the group’s control.
The operation represents a continuation of sustained military pressure on Al-Shabaab. In early April, the Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF), with the support of international partners, conducted an airstrike in the Tawarmooge area of Mudug that killed approximately 70 Al-Shabaab militants and injured up to 95 others. The April operation also destroyed eight military vehicles and targeted a militant assembly point where the group was reportedly planning major attacks to destabilize the region.
Coordinated Counter-Terrorism Campaign Intensifies
The military campaign against Al-Shabaab has intensified since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced a “total war” against the group in August 2022. Operations continue across multiple fronts, with Somali forces and their international partners maintaining pressure on militant strongholds in both central and southern regions. In November 2025, Somali National Army forces working alongside Macawisley community defense fighters eliminated eleven militants and derailed plans for fresh attacks in coordinated operations across Mudug and Bakool regions. Those operations targeted hideouts that had become staging points for assaults on villages and transport routes, with local commanders tracking militant cells for days before conducting swift and precise strikes. In January 2026, security forces conducted an intelligence-led operation that killed 22 Al-Shabaab terrorists in Mudug and Hiiraan regions.
The federal government has made disruption of financial networks a core pillar of its strategy. A sanctions list issued in January 2026 named senior financiers and commanders, and intelligence assessments estimated that the group’s total revenue for 2025 dropped to below $80 million, its lowest level in seven years. The government has also frozen bank accounts linked to terrorism financing and deactivated hundreds of mobile numbers used for extortion. Nevertheless, a United Nations panel of experts has warned that Al-Shabaab has diversified its funding streams, expanding from pure cash transactions to using bank accounts and electronic mobile services to save, transfer, and invest money.
International partners have continued to support Somalia’s counter-terrorism efforts. In April, U.S. Africa Command conducted airstrikes targeting ISIS-Somalia in the Golis Mountains, while Somali forces reported separate strikes against Al-Shabaab in Mudug. The government has consistently emphasized that counter-terrorism operations will continue until all terrorist elements are eliminated from Somali territory and lasting security is established for the Somali population.
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