Balad, Somalia

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Balcad
Town
Somalia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Balcad
Location in Somalia
Coordinates: 2°21′30″N45°23′11″E / 2.358431°N 45.386361°E / 2.358431; 45.386361
CountryFlag of Somalia.svg Somalia (De jure)
ShabaabFlag.svg Islamic Emirate of Somalia (De facto)
State [Flag of Hirshabelle.svg Hirshabelle
Region Middle Shabelle
District Balcad
Government
 • ControlShabaabFlag.svg al-Shabaab
Time zone UTC+3 (EAT)

Bal'ad District (Somali : Degmada Balcad) is one of the districts of Middle Shabelle region of Somalia. It is located about 36 kilometers northeast of the capital city of Mogadishu. Emperor Menelik II attempted to conquer the area in 1905, and the area faced attacks and occupation by Al-Shabaab in the 2010s and 2020s.

Contents

History

During the spring of 1905, in the last years of Menelik II's expansions, a force of several thousand Ethiopian horseman armed with rifles pushed into the Shabelle valley near Balad. Only a day's march from Mogadishu, several clans residing in the region rose up to engage in battles with the invading forces and defeated them. [1]

On July 20, 1981, Somali Airlines Flight 40 crashed near the town, killing all 50 people aboard. [2]

In December 2021, Balad town was attacked by Al Shabaab fighters. At least eight people were killed in the fighting. [3] On 9 June, 2022, Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for a landmine explosion targeting the Danab Brigade early in the morning on the outskirts of the town, which they claim killed at least 15 soldiers and destroyed one vehicle. [4]

Al-Shabaab insurgency 2022-present

On 27 February 2025, al-Shabaab militants briefly captured Balad after storming a military base located near the town, but after some clashes the settlement was recaptured by the Somali National Army. [5] Though the town ended up in the control of Al-Shabaab by 28 February 2025. [6]

Battle of Bal'ad

On 5 March 2025, Al-Shabaab used the town as a central hub to continue its insurgency towards capital Mogadishu. [7]

Infrastructure

From 1974 to 1978, 160 million Somali shillings were spent on irrigation development in Bal'ad. [8]

Economy

In the 1970s the town relied on the cotton textile industry and cotton growing. [9]

See also

Reference

  1. ↑ Cassanelli, Lee V. (1982). The Shaping of Somali Society: Reconstructing the History of a Pastoral People, 1600-1900. University of Pennsylvania Press. pp. 199–201. ISBN   978-0-8122-7832-3.
  2. ↑ "Accident Fokker F-27 Friendship 600RF 6O-SAY, Monday 20 July 1981". Aviation Safety Network . Flight Safety Foundation. Archived from the original on 26 February 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  3. ↑ "Somalia's Al-Shabab Fighters Kill at Least 7 in Attack Near Capital". VOA. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  4. ↑ "Al-Shabaab claims it killed 15 Somali soldiers in blast". shabellemedia.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  5. ↑ "Somali forces regain control of Bal'ad after deadly Al-Shabaab attack". Hiiraan Online . 27 February 2025. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
  6. ↑ "Al-Shabaab Captures Balcad, 30km from Somali Capital, During Ethiopian PM's Visit". Horn Observer. 28 February 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  7. ↑ Jarriri, Nihad (5 March 2025). "جماعة الشباب الصومالية تقترب من مقديشو.. هل نحن أمام سيناريو طالبان جديد؟" جماعة الشباب الصومالية تقترب من مقديشو.. هل نحن أمام سيناريو طالبان جديد؟ [Al-Shabaab approaches Mogadishu.. Are we facing a new Taliban scenario?]. Akhbar Alaan (in Arabic). Retrieved 5 March 2025.
  8. ↑ Samatar 1988, p. 37.
  9. ↑ Bohra 1979, p. 67.

Works cited

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