MOGADISHU (Kaab TV) – Al-Shabaab militants launched a dawn assault on Ceeldheer town in the Galgaduud region of central Somalia on Friday, using vehicles packed with explosives, according to local officials.
Casualties were reported, though the exact number remains unclear.
A government army commander, identified as Abdi Farey, was among those killed in the attack, federal government sources confirmed.
There were some injuries brought to Mogadishu on Friday night.
The militants briefly entered Ceeldheer, a town previously retaken from Al-Shabaab but considered strategically important to government forces and allied clan militias.
Ceeldheer District Commissioner, Abdirahman Omar, said government troops and local clan militias managed to repel the assault.
“We had prior knowledge of their movements, and they attacked while the town was under heavy defense. We dealt them a heavy blow,” he told reporters.
Al-Shabaab, however, released videos showing captured government and militia fighters from the Ceeldheer battle.
The group also claimed to have seized military vehicles, weapons, ammunition, food, and medical supplies left behind by retreating troops and Macawiisley fighters.
Somalia’s Defense Minister, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, said Al-Shabaab had been defeated in the clashes but made no mention of the captured soldiers or the military equipment reportedly taken by the militants.
Sources who spoke to Kaab TV expressed suspicion over how the assault unfolded, noting that most Al-Shabaab operations typically involve ambushes or hit-and-run tactics.
One source alleged that some officers stationed in Ceeldheer had withdrawn before the attack, allowing the militants to capture sleeping soldiers.
“What happened in Ceeldheer can only be described as a national disgrace,” said security analyst Abdi Macaw, adding that Al-Shabaab took control of the town with ease, capturing troops, vehicles, and weapons.
He and others called for an investigation into possible collusion between elements within the government and the militants.
The Somali government has not addressed how Al-Shabaab was able to seize military vehicles and supplies from the battlefield so easily.
Al-Shabaab, which was pushed out of many central Somalia towns during offensives in 2022–2023, has since regained territory in Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle.
The Ceeldheer attack highlights the group’s renewed ability to expand operations in central Somalia while maintaining pressure on Mogadishu, where militants have been massing on the outskirts of the capital, posing a growing threat to national security.