Somali Security Forces Rescue Four Children Abducted by Al-Shabaab

GOOBJOOG NEWS | BAIDOA: Somali security forces have successfully rescued four children abducted by the Al-Shabaab militant group in South West State, officials confirmed.

The children, all under the age of 18, were taken from different locations and transported to Buush-Madiino, a known Al-Shabaab stronghold in the Bay region, where they were set to undergo forced military training.

According to security officials, one of the children revealed that he was kidnapped from Rabdhuure, while others recounted being seized on their way to school. They were held in a remote, heavily forested area controlled by the militants before making a daring escape.

After spending days in captivity, the children fled on foot, trekking for two days through hostile terrain before reaching government-controlled areas. Security forces later secured them in Baidoa, where they were presented to the media.

In response to the rescue, the administration of South West State President Abdiaziz Laftagareen has called for the children to be pardoned and swiftly reunited with their families.

Al-Shabaab, the al-Qaida-affiliated extremist group, has been waging a brutal insurgency against the Somali government for over a decade. The group is notorious for its forced recruitment of child soldiers, often abducting them from schools and villages in areas under its control.

This latest rescue highlights ongoing efforts by Somali authorities to combat Al-Shabaab’s exploitation of vulnerable children and disrupt its recruitment pipeline.