The armed group claims to have seized control of Adan Yabaal town, but the Somali army disputes the battle outcome.
The al-Shabab armed group has claimed to have seized control of Adan Yabaal, a town in central Somalia and a logistical hub for the government forces, about 220 kilometres (130 miles) north of the capital, Mogadishu.
The fighters launched the raids before dawn on Wednesday, forcing the army to retreat after fierce battles, according to a security officer quoted by the Anadolu news agency.
However, the report was disputed by the army. Captain Hussein Olow, a military officer in Adan Yabaal, told the Reuters news agency that government troops had pushed the group back.
“The terrorist militants launched a desperate attack on the Somali army positions in the Adan Yabaal district this morning,” Somali captain Mohamed Ali told the AFP news agency from a nearby town. “There was heavy fighting still going on in some parts of the town,” he said.
There were no reports of casualties.
‘Deafening explosion’
Al-Shabab has been fighting the Somali government for more than 16 years and frequently targets government officials and military personnel.
Adan Yabaal has strategic military significance and serves as a critical logistical hub connecting Hirshabelle state to the neighbouring central state of Galmudug. It was recaptured from al-Shabab in 2022.
“After early morning prayers, we heard a deafening explosion, then gunfire,” Fatuma Nur, a mother of four, told Reuters by phone from Adan Yabaal. “Al-Shabab attacked us from two directions,” she added.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who is from the area, visited the town in March to meet with military commanders there.
A new African Union peacekeeping mission replaced a larger force at the start of the year, but its funding is uncertain, with the United States opposed to a plan to transition to a United Nations financing model.