Somalia: Allied troops advance on Afmadow in Lower Juba region
At least nine people have been killed and several others wounded following fierce fighting between Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces with the support of Kenyan Defense Forces (KDF) and Ras-Kamboni militias against the al-Shabaab insurgent group late Saturday at Hayo village between Qooqani and Afmadow, according TFG officials.
Fighting is reported to have lasted several hours after TFG military forces attacked al-Shabaab bases in Hayo village of Lower Juba region, according to the Ras-Kamboni officials. TFG officials confirmed to Somalia Report that they attacked an al-Shabaab base in Hayo village
“We attacked their base in Hayo area and killed four of their fighters. We overwhelmed them. We are now about 20 kilometers from Afmadow and will capture the area in the coming days. Also, we burned one vehicle belonging to al-Shabaab,” said Abdi Halane, a TFG official in Lower Juba.
A Ras-Kamboni official confirmed the fighting claiming victory over al-Shabaab, “We killed seven al-Shabaab fighters and defeated them. We lost one soldier and another was wounded. We also captured al-Shabaab bases between Hayo and Afmadow. They fled to Afmadow but soon will reach there,” Mohamud Qalib Ashir informed Somalia Report.