Wednesday September 3, 2025
FILE - Aerial view of Beledweyne
Beledweyne (HOL) — Somali police forces clashed with armed militia in Beledweyne on Wednesday, leaving a police officer and a civilian wounded, residents said.
The firefight erupted in the Buundoweyn neighbourhood when militia fighters, reportedly backed by members of the Somali military stationed in Hiiraan, blocked engineers surveying a site for a new paved road. The confrontation quickly escalated into an exchange of heavy gunfire.
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Police identified the injured officer as Dhaqane Abdullahi Wehliye, known locally as Xiirane, a trainer and instructor with the Somali Police Force in Beledweyne. The civilian’s identity was not immediately released.Witnesses said the exchange of fire lasted only minutes but was intense, with both sides using automatic weapons. No deaths were reported, and authorities have not confirmed whether any arrests were made.