By Zakaria Soohoyde - Reporter
BAIDOA, 28 September 2026 — Southwest State authorities said on Monday that more than 70 fighters involved in an attack on Baidoa were killed in heavy fighting that broke out in the city early in the morning, adding that some of those killed were foreigners.
The fighting began around dawn prayers. In a statement issued on Monday evening, Southwest State authorities said government and state forces had repelled an attack by what they described as Al-Shabaab fighters alongside forces supporting former Southwest State President Abdiaziz Laftagareen.
The administration said more than 70 fighters were killed in the fighting and that some of those killed were foreign nationals. However, the reported death toll and the identities of those said to have been killed have not been independently confirmed.
Somalia’s Ministry of Defence also said the forces involved in the attack had suffered heavy casualties but did not provide an official figure.
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Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the faction supporting Laftagareen said their forces had attacked positions held by Southwest State forces. The claim contradicts the administration’s account, with the two sides giving different versions of who launched the attack and how the fighting began.
The clashes come amid an ongoing political and security dispute in Baidoa involving the Federal Government of Somalia, the Southwest State administration and the faction supporting Laftagareen.
Tensions have intensified in recent months, with the dispute developing into military mobilisation and armed clashes. Monday’s fighting has further heightened security concerns in the city.