Thursday December 22, 2022
Jowhar (HOL) - Somali forces and allied militias recaptured Ruun Nirgood district in the Middle Shabelle region on Thursday morning following days of heavy fighting in the suburbs of the district.
Defense Ministry Spokesman General Abdullahi Ali Aanod said in a press conference in Mogadishu that Ruun Nirgood was the only village held by al Shabab in the Middle Shabelle region.
"This morning at six a.m., coalition forces took over Ruun-nirgood district," adding that there had been battles in small villages under the district, including Juha, Al-Naima, and Al-Kowthar.
The spokesman added that the battles in villages killed at least 150 al-Shabaab members, including five foreign members, but did not mention the names of the foreign fighters.
Weeks ago, Somali forces and allied militias pushed al-Shabaab fighters out of the strategic town of Adan Yabal in the Middle Shabelle region that the Islamist group has controlled for six years.
Adan Yabaal, about 245 kilometres north of the capital Mogadishu has been under al Shabab since 2016. The district is located near the border between Hiran and Middle Shabelle regions.