| Battle of Shabeelow | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Somali civil war (2009–present) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 al-Shabaab | Shabeelow residents Galmudug State Forces | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 16+ killed | 14+ killed, 6 injured | ||||||
On September 3 and 5, 2020, al-Shabaab militants attacked the village of Shabeelow in Galmudug, Somalia, sparking clashes with villagers who took up arms in self-defense.
For years, the jihadist militant group al-Shabaab has launched incursions into the village of Shabeelow, pressuring residents to wage jihad against the Somali government and turn over their livestock to al-Shabaab. [1] In response to the constant attacks, residents of Shabeelow had taken up arms to fight against the jihadists. [1] In March 2020, al-Shabaab ordered residents of the village to provide children to fight for the group. [2] Tensions had reportedly risen between the two groups in the days prior to the battle, but these confrontations had no injuries or fatalities. [3]
Clashes broke out between villagers and al-Shabaab on September 3 after the latter attempted to force villagers to hand over their livestock. [4] When the villagers refused, al-Shabaab placed landmines in and around the village. [5] Villagers who had taken up arms along with nearby freelance militiamen fought back against the jihadists, sparking the clashes. [6] The fighting had a brief lull on September 4 before flaring up later that night and into September 5. [7] The clashes on September 5 lasted for five hours, and left sixteen jihadists and fourteen villagers and militiamen dead. [1] At least six militiamen and villagers were injured as well, and subsequently transported to hospitals in Galkayo. [1] [3]
By September 5, the Somali military's 21st and 15th Battalions headed to Shabeelow to evacuate the injured and dispel al-Shabaab. al-Shabaab claimed that nine Galmudug State Forces militiamen had been killed. [7]
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