Mogadishu, Somalia — The Somali National Army on Thursday said it had repelled a dawn attack by Al-Shabaab militants on the village of Wargadhi, located in the Masajid Ali Gaduud district of Middle Shabelle region.
The assault began with a series of explosions, followed by an intense firefight between government troops and the militants, according to a military statement. The army claimed that Al-Shabaab fighters were "crushed" during the confrontation.
Commander Mohamed Ibrahim, head of the 18th battalion of the elite Gorgor commandos, denied reports that Al-Shabaab had captured Wargadhi. "I and my forces are currently on the ground," he said in a statement broadcast by state media.
He described the engagement as a "lesson" for the insurgents, adding that their bodies were "left scattered" across the battlefield.
A short video released by state media showed the commander and his troops stationed at a monument in Wargadhi, refuting Al-Shabaab's earlier claim that it had seized the area from the SNA.
"This is Wargadhi. The National Army and local Macawisley forces are in full control. The claims that the village was taken are baseless," said Commander IIbrahim.
State media reported that at least 40 Al-Shabaab fighters were killed in the fighting, and that security operations were ongoing to pursue any remaining militants in the vicinity.
The military statement came shortly after Al-Shabaab claimed to have taken control of Wargadhi and seized weapons during the attack, while also alleging to have inflicted casualties on Somali troops.
Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-linked group, frequently launches attacks on government forces and civilian targets in a bid to topple the internationally backed Somali government.
