Sunday January 19, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali National Army (SNA) forces, supported by local residents, intercepted a vehicle carrying 13 AK-47 rifles intended for the Al-Shabaab militant group during a planned operation near Beledweyne on Saturday, military officials confirmed.
The operation took place in the Bardhere area, where troops had been tracking the vehicle for two days, according to Mahamud Hassan Ibrahim Bakay, commander of the 5th Brigade, 27th Division of the Somali National Army.
"Behind me are weapons seized from terrorists. This vehicle and its contents were new and intended for Al-Shabaab. We had intelligence on this shipment for two days and successfully intercepted it," Commander Bakay said at a press briefing.
The vehicle's driver fled the scene before security forces could apprehend him. Both the vehicle and weapons are now in the custody of the Somali military.
The operation comes days after Somalia's federal government formally assumed full responsibility for the security of Beledweyne and its surrounding areas from local militia forces.