Awdhegle — Al-Shabaab launched a heavy attack this morning in Awdheegle district in the Lower Shabelle region, as local residents said they woke up to the sound of gunshots and explosions.

The attack turned into a face-to-face battle, which lasted for about an hour in the city, which is about 85 km west of Mogadishu. Casualties have been inflicted on both sides, but the number of casualties has not yet been confirmed.

The Somali Government forces are reported to have resisted the dawn Al-Shabaab gun and bomb attack and pushed them back. The situation is calm now after the fighting has stopped.

The residents say Al-Shabaab attackers attempted to take the town but encountered stiff resistance from the SNA forces who have been on high alert over the past few weeks.

Lower Shabelle saw one of the deadliest attacks by al-Shabaab which is battling the African Union and Somali forces, who are trying to wipe out the militants from the whole region.

The Somali National Army (SNA) backed by local clan fighters and the US military has been battling the terrorists since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared a "total war" on them in August 2022 three months after his reelection in May.

The victorious SNA - Somali National Army has liberated large swathes of territories from al-Shabaab in the country's south and central provinces, including the strategic coastal town of Harardhere, which had been under the group's control for more than a decade.

Linked with Al-Qaeda since 2012, Al-Shabaab has been fighting to oust the UN-backed Somali government and the African Union peacekeepers in the country since 2008.