KISMAAYO (Kaab TV) – Jubaland security forces continued operations on Friday to clear landmines following a major Al-Shabaab assault on three military bases on Kudhaa Island in the Lower Juba region.
The initial attack, which occurred on Wednesday, briefly saw the extremist group overrun the positions before they were pushed back.
According to security officials speaking to Kaab TV, heavily armed units of the Jubaland Darawish and the Intelligence and Security Agency arrived on the island on Thursday and repulsed the militants.
Teams have already begun detonating improvised explosive devices (IEDs) left behind by the militants, including a landmine planted within the Kudhaa police station compound, a local official told Kaab TV.
Since Thursday, U.S. airstrikes targeted fleeing Al-Shabaab militants.
Jubaland President Ahmed Mohamed Islam (Ahmed Madobe) noted that the group’s losses are mounting as search teams discover more bodies and wounded fighters abandoned in the surrounding bushland.
“Military reports indicate that Al-Shabaab fatalities have reached 250, with 13 militants captured. Most of the prisoners were wounded and apprehended in the wilderness today,” a statement from the President’s office confirmed.
Casualties
Kudhaa Island, located near the Somalia–Kenya border, is a strategic point monitored closely by both Jubaland and Kenyan forces.
Security sources confirmed that at least 71 militants were killed specifically in the aftermath of the attack, many of whom were targeted by airstrikes while attempting to retreat.
The battle has come at a high cost for Jubaland forces. Official counts report that 64 soldiers and two women—wives of soldiers—were killed during Wednesday’s early morning raid.
Significantly, Jubaland intelligence sources reported the presence of foreign nationals among the Al-Shabaab ranks.
Fighters from Eritrea and Kenya reportedly participated in the combat, with sources indicating these foreign elements provide specialized training to the group’s militants.
Jubaland officials confirmed the capture of 12 wounded Al-Shabaab fighters. Conversely, Al-Shabaab claimed to have captured 17 Jubaland soldiers.
The group alleged that these prisoners were subsequently killed in U.S. airstrikes while being transported through the forest. However, Kaab TV has learned that at least two Jubaland soldiers survived the ordeal in the wilderness and have since been recovered by their units.
The Wednesday assault followed a familiar pattern of Al-Shabaab heavy explosions targeting military perimeters followed by an infantry surge.
The attack on Kudhaa comes just days after Al-Shabaab attack on Somali Federal Government bases near the Warsheekh district in the Middle Shabelle region.