The Somali Executive reported this Tuesday the death of 75 alleged members of Al Shabaab in a series of clashes that took place in the Bay region, in the south of the country, after the Islamist militia, allied with Al Qaeda, claimed to have caused more than 300 casualties in the ranks of the Somali Army in those same confrontations.
According to a statement released by the Somali Ministry of Defense on its official profiles, the Armed Forces carried out "a large-scale assault" against "Al Shabaab positions" in the town of Jameeca, in Bay. The operation resulted in fierce clashes that lasted for hours and which, according to the government version, left 75 militants dead and another 56 wounded.
The Ministry detailed that "during the fighting, Al Shabaab militants used vehicles loaded with explosives to attack Armed Forces vehicles, damaging several of them," although it avoided providing data on possible casualties in its own ranks. At the same time, it emphasized that operations "will continue until the terrorist threat is eliminated and to ensure security, peace, and stability in the country."
In parallel, Al Shabaab claimed late Monday to have attacked a convoy of the Somali Army and an allied militia of the Government in the same area. The organization asserted that government forces, supported by Turkish aviation, would have suffered 321 dead and "an even greater number of wounded."
The group added in its note, distributed through its propaganda channels, that "the number may increase, as more bodies continue to be discovered" and also maintained that it seized "a large amount of weapons and ammunition."
The Somali president, Hasán Sheij Mohamud, announced at the beginning of July that the Army is preparing "a final offensive" to defeat Al Shabaab. He insisted that these plans are already underway by the authorities, while, in parallel, U.S. forces have intensified confirmed bombings against the jihadist organization in Somali territory in recent weeks.