Defence Minister Fiqi Hails Troops after Crushing Al-Shabaab Assault in El-Dheer

GOOBJOOG NEWS | DHUSAMAREEB: Defence Minister Ahmed Moalim Fiqi has praised government and local forces for “bravely defending” the Galgaduud town of El-Dheer, where military officials say 71 Al-Shabaab fighters were killed in heavy clashes.

The minister said the militants launched a major assault on the town last Friday but were repelled after hours of fighting. “Our forces stood firm. The enemy could not even retrieve their dead or wounded,” Fiqi said.

District Commissioner Abdirahman Ahmed Omar confirmed the rising death toll after more militant bodies were recovered. The Ministry of Defence said six Somali soldiers were killed and 14 others wounded.

Al-Shabaab claimed online it had captured El-Dheer and inflicted heavy casualties, but officials dismissed the statement as propaganda.

The attack, the most serious on El-Dheer since it was retaken in 2022, underscored the militants’ continued threat in central Somalia. But Fiqi insisted the outcome showed Somalia’s growing ability to defend liberated areas and protect its citizens.