Kenyan strike aircraft hit the airport in Kismayo; a Shabaab weapons depot was reportedly destroyed. The spokesman for Hizbul Islam claimed the group has ended its alliance with Shabaab, and described Shabaab as “weakened.” One person was killed in an IED attack in Beledweyne.
The Kenyan military arrested one of its soldiers accused of killing nine civilians in Jana Cabdalla. Heavy fighting was reported in Dumay, a town under Shabaab control.
Kenyan soldiers reportedly executed nine Somalis in Jana Cabdalla. The Kenyan military spokesman said six Somalis were killed while approaching a checkpoint in the town, and an investigation has begun.
Shabaab claimed the assassination of a member of parliament. AMISOM said over 200 Shabaab fighters surrendered in Garsale.
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A pair of Shabaab suicide bombers killed 15 people at a cafe in Mogadishu. A journalist was gunned down in the capital. More than 10,000 people are said to have fled Kismayo.
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Fifteen people, including several journalists, are reported to have been killed in an attack at a restaurant across from the national theatre, where a similar attack took place months ago.
The al Qaeda and Shabaab affiliate said its ultimate goal is to raise “the flag of Tawheed high over Kenya and East Africa.”
A Kenyan military officer said that more than 50 Shabaab fighters were killed during clashes in Jana Cabdalla, a town just 25 miles from Kismayo. The town is now under the control of Somali and Kenyan forces.
Shabaab has sent hundreds of fighters to reinforce positions in Kismayo in anticipation of the combined African Union and Somali assault. AMISOM urged Shabaab fighters in Kismayo to lay down their weapons. A police force from Nigeria has deployed in Mogadishu.
“Gunmen” killed a journalist and a civilian in separate attacks in Mogadishu. Shabaab denied that its forces have fled Kismayo, and said “the Islamic administration in Kismayo is going about its business as usual.”
The Kenyan Defense Forces took control of Bibi, a town about 60 miles from Kismayo. A Somali military commander claimed Shabaab has been defeated in southern Somalia.
Kenyan and Somali troops are battling Shabaab in the village of Birta-dheer near Kismayo; heavy fighting has been reported. Shabaab detonated two IEDs against Somali forces in Afgoya.
Four Somalis were killed in an IED attack in Mogadishu. An outbreak of unknown origin killed 12 people in Hosingow near Kismayo.
Shabaab sent three suicide bombers to assassinate the new president and Kenya’s foreign minister at a press conference at a hotel in Mogadishu. Seven people were killed in the failed attack. African Union and Somali troops claimed to have killed more than 100 Shabaab fighters in Miido.
Seven people were killed after three suicide bombers attempted to enter a press conference at a hotel in a high-security area of Mogadishu.
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Somalia’s parliament elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, a member of the Hawiye clan, as the new president. Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Ali Mahmud Rage said the election was illegitimate and called on Somalis “to continue supporting Jihad and the Mujahideen.”
AMISOM claimed that more than 200 Shabaab fighters in Kismayo, Bibi, Soya, and Jana Cabdalla surrendered. Some reportedly wanted to fight alongside AMISOM forces but officials said they “cannot be trusted.”
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Security forces detained 50 Shabaab fighters and supporters in Afgoye. Shabaab targeted Somali troops in an IED attack in Beledweyne; casualties have not been disclosed.
African Union forces secured the port of Elma’an. Kenyan troops killed a Shabaab commander and seven fighters in Jiliib. Shabaab killed one person in a grenade attack in Baidoa.
Shabaab claimed it killed seven Ugandan troops in two IED attacks in the Daynille district in Mogadishu. Gunmen killed two people in an attack on a bus in Burhakaba. Security forces detained 323 people while searching for Shabaab fighters in Mogadishu.
Shabaab forces clashed with Somali and AMISOM troops near Afmadow and in Garbaharey. Shabaab forces withdrew from Mahas. Somali troops are preparing to launch an offensive to retake Johwar.
Somali and African Union forces took control of the port town of El-ma’an near Mogadishu. The government imposed a curfew in Afgoye. A Kenyan military spokesman said the military is massing forces for the offensive to take Kismayo.
Kenyan warships continue to shell Shabaab positions in and around Kismayo. Security forces are pursuing Shabaab remnants in Marka. Islamist cleric and Shabaab supporter Abubaker Shariff Ahmed was arrested and charged with inciting violence.