| Battle of Hawadley | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Somali Civil War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 al-Shabaab | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 10 (per Somalia) 63 (per al-Shabaab) | 49+ (per Somalia) | ||||||
On January 17, 2023, al-Shabaab attacked a Somali army base in the town of Hawadley, Hirshabelle State, Somalia. In response, the Somali army launched counter-operations to secure the area.
In late 2022, the Somali government under Hassan Sheikh Mohamud launched a massive counteroffensive against al-Shabaab in Somalia's Hirshabelle State. [1] In the offensive, Somali forces recovered large swaths of the state, including Runirgod District, Ceel Guud, and Harardhere. [1] In these offensives, they captured the town of Hawadley in late October. [2]
The day of the attack, al-Shabaab militants placed a car with explosives outside the Somali Army's military base in Hawadley. [2] Immediately afterward, jihadists stormed the base and shot at the Somali soldiers. Somali forces were able to hold onto the base. [3] A Somali commander from a nearby town stated that seven Somali soldiers, including the base's commander, were killed in the attack. [4] This number later rose to ten soldiers killed. [3] al-Shabaab, immediately after the attack, claimed the deaths of sixty-three Somali soldiers. [5]
Two days later, the Somali army in collaboration with NISA attacked al-Shabaab bases at farms on the outskirts of Hawadley. Forty-nine al-Shabaab fighters were killed in the battle. [6] The attack was launched in response to the Hawadley base attack. [6]
The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was a regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It was mandated to support transitional governmental structures, implement a national security plan, train the Somali security forces, and to assist in creating a secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian aid. As part of its duties, AMISOM supported the Federal Government of Somalia's forces in their battle against Al-Shabaab militants.
The Somali civil war (2009–present) is the ongoing phase of the Somali civil war which is concentrated in southern and central Somalia. It began in late January 2009 with the present conflict mainly between the forces of the Federal Government of Somalia assisted by African Union peacekeeping troops and al-Qaeda-aligned al-Shabaab militants.
A series of battles in Hiraan, Shabeellaha Dhexe and Galgudug, between rebels of al-Shabaab and Hizbul Islam and Somali government forces and ICU militants loyal to the government, erupted during spring 2009. The fighting led to al-Shabaab capturing major government strongholds and Ethiopian forces re-entering Somalia and setting up bases in Hiraan. There was a halt in fighting during a government offensive in Mogadishu, which started on May 22.
The Battle of Mogadishu (2010–11) began on 23 August 2010 when al-Shabaab insurgents began attacking government and African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) positions in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Al-Shabaab began its offensive after its spokesman said the group was declaring a "massive war" on troops sent by AMISOM, describing its 6,000 peacekeepers as "invaders". In December 2010 the number of AMISOM troops was increased to 8,000 and later to 9,000. The battle's name usually includes the years, when referenced, in order to distinguish it amongst the nine major Battles of Mogadishu during the decades long Somali Civil War.
This is a 2011 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
The Battle of Gedo is a conflict of the 2009–present phase of the Somali Civil War. Centered in the region of Gedo, it pits the Somali government and its allies against the al-Qaeda-aligned militant group Al-Shabaab.
Operation Linda Nchi had the Kenya Defence Forces enter southern Somalia beginning in 2011. The Kenyan government declared the operation completed in March 2012, but its forces then joined AMISOM in Somalia.
This is a 2012 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
This is a 2014 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
Operation Indian Ocean was a joint military operation between the Somali military, AMISOM and the United States military against the Al-Shabaab militant group aimed at eliminating the remaining insurgent-held areas in southern Somalia. It officially began in August 2014.
This is a 2015 timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present).
This article contains a timeline of events for the Somali jihadist group al-Shabaab.
The Golweyn ambush by al-Shabaab militants against an AMISOM convoy took place on 30 July 2017. Resulting in the death of several Ugandan soldiers, the attack seriously disrupted the control of pro-government forces over the Lower Shebelle region in Somalia, eventually leading to the fall of the strategically significant town of Leego to al-Shabaab.
Since the late 2000s, the United States has militarily supported the Transitional Federal Government and then the Federal Government of Somalia. U.S. military actions in Somalia date back to the 1980s, but following the September 11th attacks, military action was justified as counterterrorism. The Obama administration and the Trump administration conducted strikes by drone and fighter aircraft, advisory missions, training, provided intelligence, and attacked al-Shabaab militants. Two U.S. special operations personnel, two contractors, one US Army soldier, and a CIA paramilitary officer have died during operations in Somalia.
Events in the year 2023 in Somalia.
On October 7, 2022, Somali Army troops repulsed an Al-Shabaab attack on a military base near Balad, Somalia. In the skirmish, nineteen al-Shabaab members were reportedly killed.
The battle of Runirgod took place between December 12 and December 22, 2022, with Somali forces launching an offensive against al-Shabaab in the Runirgod District of Middle Shabelle, the group's last stronghold in the state.
The battle of Buulo Mareer took place on 26 May 2023, when Al-Shabaab fighters stormed an African Union military camp manned by Ugandan forces in the town of Bulo Marer, Lower Shabelle, Somalia.
On January 6, 2023, al-Shabaab militants attacked the town of Hilowle Gaab, which had recently been recaptured by Somali forces. Over 20 people were killed in the attack, including several Somali commanders.
On January 14, 2023, al-Shabaab attacked two African Union bases in the cities of Buloburde and Jalalaqsi, both in Hirshabelle State, Somalia. Thirty-five people were killed, and dozens more were injured.
