Al-Shabaab Ambush Leaves Heavy Losses as Somalia Claims 75 Killed

By Al Mayadeen English

27 Oct 2026 21:35

Somalia's Defense Ministry says more than 75 Al-Shabaab fighters were killed in Bay region clashes as military operations against the group continue.

Somali government forces and Al-Shabaab fighters suffered heavy casualties during intense fighting near Leego in southern Somalia on Monday, with both sides issuing sharply conflicting accounts of the battle.

Somalia’s Defense Ministry announced Tuesday that its forces had killed more than 75 Al-Shabaab fighters and wounded 56 others during hours of fighting in the Jameeca area, near Burhakaba in the southwestern Bay region.

The clashes erupted as Somali troops conducting Operation Banooda advanced along the strategic Mogadishu–Baidoa highway, where Al-Shabaab fighters launched a major ambush against government forces and their military vehicles.

According to the ministry, troops repelled the attack and protected a military supply convoy. It acknowledged that Al-Shabaab had deployed explosives-laden vehicles and damaged military equipment but did not disclose casualties among government forces. 

Al-Shabaab claims 321 killed in major ambush

Al-Shabaab, meanwhile, claimed to have killed 321 Somali government soldiers and allied fighters during a three-hour ambush targeting Turkish-trained troops near Leego on October 26.

According to AFP, citing a statement monitored by SITE Intelligence Group, the armed group also claimed to have captured prisoners and seized weapons and military vehicles during the assault. Neither its casualty figures nor the government's claims could be independently verified. 

However, accounts from Somali soldiers suggest that government forces sustained substantial losses. Two soldiers told Reuters that dozens of troops were killed in the fighting. One soldier said he had helped transport 40 dead soldiers and more than 100 wounded to hospitals in Mogadishu, while another reported that explosives-laden vehicles had destroyed five military vehicles.

Local outlet Garowe Online separately reported that government forces had lost as many as 36 military vehicles, including six Turkish-made Kirpi armored vehicles, although these figures remain unverified. The outlet also reported that several military officers were missing following the clashes. 

Since July, the Somali army has intensified operations against Al-Shabaab with support from the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and other international partners. In December 2025, the United Nations Security Council renewed AUSSOM’s mandate, extending its authorization through December 31, 2026.

Somalia's campaign against al-Shabab intensifies

Heavy fighting erupted in Baidoa on August 17, 2026, between federal troops and forces loyal to former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen. Somalia’s Defense Ministry said federal forces killed about 30 attackers after an assault involving explosives-laden vehicles.

The African Union subsequently authorized the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) to join federal forces in operations against Al-Shabaab and armed groups the mission considered affiliated with the group in South West State. The decision, announced on August 21, 2026, followed a request from Somalia’s federal government amid growing violence around Baidoa. The AU also instructed AUSSOM to remain politically neutral and avoid involvement in Somalia’s internal political disputes.

US military involvement has also continued. On September 5, 2026, US Africa Command conducted an airstrike targeting Al-Shabaab near Quumbi, about 75 kilometers northwest of Kismayo, in coordination with Somalia’s federal government and Somali armed forces. AFRICOM said the strike was intended to degrade the group’s ability to threaten US forces and US citizens abroad, but did not provide further operational details.

Earlier, on July 1, 2026, the United States informed the African Union that it would not support continued UN logistical and operational assistance for AUSSOM beyond the end of 2026. The decision raised concerns about the mission’s ability to sustain its nearly 12,000 personnel, as AUSSOM relies on UN support for supplies, medical services, fuel and troop transportation. The United States said Somalia had not yet demonstrated that it could independently sustain security gains against Al-Shabaab.