MOGADISHU (KAAB TV) – After the brazen attack by Al-Shabaab militant group on a military base in Busley, on the Jasiira beach, near Mogadishu, Somali forces are mobilizing to regain control of the area.
The attack, which occurred early Saturday March 23rd, involved coordinated suicide car bombings followed by ground forces storming the base, which housed both police-military personnel and militia members.
Local authorities report numerous soldiers missing, though the exact casualty count remains undisclosed.
However, Al-Shabaab claims to have inflicted heavy losses, asserting the death of 57 soldiers and sharing images of captured personnel and seized vehicles, some of which bear police insignia.
Confirmed casualties include senior police-military commander Liban Golcad.
Civilians have fled the area, particularly around Jasiira beach, underscoring the destabilizing impact of the attack on the capital’s security.
The Saturday attack on Jasiira area underscores the threat posed by Al-Shabaab to critical infrastructure, including Mogadishu airport, which lies in the direction from which the militant group staged its assault.
The militant group Al-Shabaab has intensified attacks in and around Mogadishu particularly during this month of Ramadan, placing mounting strain on the civilians.
Over the past three weeks, the militants launched about five major attacks in and around the capital city, aiming to tighten its grip. Security sources told Kaab TV that the militants now assert control over approximately 30 kilometers outside the capital, including crucial routes to Afgoye, Marka (Lower Shabelle), Balcad, and Basra (Middle Shabelle).
This has now allowed Al-Shabaab to resume levying extortion taxes on trucks and buses traversing these roads, exacerbating the challenges faced by the civilian population in those areas.