By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter
Somalia, 12 September 2025 – Somali Security Forces today foiled a dawn attack by Al Shabab militants in El Dher district, Galgadud region.
The militants were repulsed by a combined force comprising government and local forces.
Al Shabab had earlier claimed their fighters killed more than 60 government soldiers in a complex attack involving multiple car bomb explosions that targeted military bases in the region.
In a statement, the group claimed it killed 62 government soldiers and wounded 72 others before taking control of the district.
However, the government dismissed the statement, saying its forces foiled the attack inflicting heavy casualties on fleeing militants.
Images released by the government showed losses suffered by Al Shabab.
Somalia’s Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, confirmed the foiled attack, hailing Somali Security Forces’ swift response.
“This morning Somali National Army and local forces delivered an unforgettable lesson to the kawarij in the town of Ceel-Dheer in Galgadud. They could not even carry their dead,” the Minister said in a post on X.
The Somali government has controlled El Dher since 2023 when its forces recaptured the town from Al Shabab militants, who had held it for more than a decade.
The district marked a major milestone when it held high school national exams for the first time after many years of conflict and instability.
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