Heavy fighting has erupted in Tardo, Hiiraan region, between Al-Shabaab militants and local residents, following an armed confrontation in the center of the area, according to local officials and residents. The fighting reportedly broke out after Al-Shabaab fighters attempted to confiscate a weapon from a local resident. The confrontation escalated into an exchange of gunfire...
Ethiopia’s state-run Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) has launched a sharp criticism of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud following Somalia’s decision to join a joint statement issued by Somalia, Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea in El-Alamein on October 4, 2026. In a lengthy article, ENA accused the Somali president of taking a position that it said contradicts...
Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) has expanded its operational presence in Galgaduud region, part of the federal state of Galmudug, as the government steps up efforts to strengthen security and expand the capacity of national forces. The agency has increased the number of NISA commands operating across the region and is training newly...
Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has ruled out the possibility of Al-Shabaab regaining control over the country, while acknowledging that the government’s military campaign against the militant group could continue for some time. Speaking in an interview with Al Jazeera, Hassan Sheikh said Somalia’s security situation has undergone significant changes in recent years, pointing to...
MOGADISHU— Puntland security forces have launched an operation to retake the HONOUR 25, a fuel tanker reportedly seized by Somali pirates and held in Puntland since April 21, 2026. The operation reportedly took place in Dharinbaar, an area within Bandar-Beyla district of the Karkaar region, where the vessel was believed to have been held by...
MOGADISHU—Several members of Somalia’s House of the People have publicly voiced their support for former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, following renewed clashes in Baidoa between forces loyal to him and forces aligned with the Federal Government. The lawmakers, who represent constituencies in South West State, defended Laftagareen and his supporters while...
BAIDOA— Heavy fighting broke out in Baidoa early Tuesday morning between forces aligned with Somalia’s South West State administration and fighters loyal to former South West State President Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen, according to local sources. The fighting began at dawn and reportedly spread to several neighborhoods of the city. Residents said they could hear...
PUNTLAND— A tribal group from Iraq’s southern Basra province has claimed that it successfully recovered an oil tanker allegedly hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. According to members of the group, nearly 40 people traveled to the Gulf of Aden after learning that an oil tanker owned by an Iraqi businessman had...
MOGADISHU— Puntland maritime forces have recaptured the fuel tanker SIBU 1 after a 48-hour operation off the coast of Somalia’s Mudug region, ending a hijacking that lasted more than a month, Puntland authorities said. All 20 crew members aboard the vessel were rescued during the operation, according to Puntland officials, who said the tanker was...
MOGADISHU — A political dispute over the upcoming Hirshabelle elections has intensified in Hiiraan region, with reports of a possible mobilization of Macawisley fighters in the Afcad area amid opposition to the planned 30 September vote. The reported mobilization has not been independently verified. Details concerning the number of fighters allegedly involved, the weapons they...