KISMAYO — Fierce clashes erupted Tuesday near the Barsanguuni area on the outskirts of the coastal town of Kismayo, as Somalia‘s national army battling Al-Shabaab militants in a contested stretch of farmland.
Ministry of Defense Report
In a statement, the Ministry of Defense reported that U.S.-trained Danab Special Forces conducted an operation in the area alongside Jubaland regional troops.
According to the government account, the joint forces killed 14 militants and wounded another during the engagement.
Al-Shabaab Claims Ambush
Al-Shabaab offered a sharply different account via its propaganda outlet, Andalus Radio. The group’s military spokesman, Abu Musab, claimed that militants ambushed Danab commandos—allegedly accompanied by United States troops—who were carrying out an operation near Barsanguuni.
The group claimed its fighters killed 32 Danab soldiers, including seven officers, and seized five vehicles, among them gun-mounted military trucks.
Al-Shabaab released images purporting to show the captured vehicles loaded with mortar rounds and weapons, as well as a downed reconnaissance drone they claimed was used by Somali forces.
Verification Challenges
There has been no independent confirmation of the competing claims regarding casualties or equipment losses. The remote location of the fighting has made verification difficult.
The clash comes as Somali forces and international partners step up operations in southern Somalia. These offensives largely consist of rapid raid-and-withdraw maneuvers, many concentrated along the active Jubaland front.
