MOGADISHU (Kaab TV) – At least two civilians were killed and several others wounded on Friday when intense fighting resumed in the southern Somali town of Beled Hawo, Gedo region, amid growing tensions between federal forces and Jubaland regional troops.
The victims were killed after mortar shells struck residential homes, according to a statement by the Jubaland administration, which blamed the attack on federal troops stationed at the UK military camp on the town’s outskirts.
The renewed clashes come just days after a previous confrontation on Tuesday between Jubaland forces and federal troops brought in from Mogadishu.
Friday’s escalation began after the Somali Federal Government deployed additional Haramcad (Cheetah) special forces—trained by Turkey.
Eyewitnesses told Kaab TV that Jubaland forces, who currently control the town, launched an offensive and surrounded the newly deployed federal troops.
Residents reported the use of heavy artillery and mortar fire, with some shells landing inside the town, causing panic and further displacement of civilians.
One of today’s casualties was a young man named Salim, who was killed after a mortar shell hit their house in the city.
Since Sunday, hundreds of families have fled Beled Hawo in fear of escalating violence.
In a strongly worded statement, the Jubaland administration condemned what it called “a barbaric mortar attack” that killed civilians in their homes.
The statement accused President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of ordering federal forces to carry out “massacres and displacement of civilians.”
Abdirashid Abdinuur Janan, who recently took charge as the head of Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), is leading the federal forces in Beled Hawo.
He denied initiating the attack, accusing Jubaland of launching the assault and insisting that his troops acted in self-defense.
“We were attacked by anti-peace militias,” said Janan, adding that he and his troops remain stationed at the UK base.
He also blamed Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe for ordering the offensive.
Tensions rise across Gedo
The clashes mark a sharp escalation in the ongoing standoff between the Somali Federal Government and Jubaland.
Armed reinforcements and militia mobilizations have been reported in other parts of the Gedo region, raising fears of broader conflict.
Local communities have voiced deep concern about the possibility of fighting spreading to nearby areas, which could lead to more civilian casualties and displacement.
In response to the violence, youth sports groups in Beled Hawo released a peace appeal, urging all parties to cease hostilities.
They offered condolences to the families of those killed and injured and warned that continued shelling is endangering innocent lives.