The raids targeted Al-Shabaab positions in the Darul-Nimca and Al-Kowthar areas of the Middle Shabelle region, as well as in Beera Yabaal in the Hiran region. In the first operation, 17 fighters were killed and their vehicles destroyed. A second strike in Darul-Nimca killed 19 militants and also destroyed vehicles. The third operation in Beera Yabaal resulted in 12 more Al-Shabaab members killed.
NISA confirmed that some senior Al-Shabaab leaders were among those killed, though it did not release their identities or positions. The airstrikes were part of ongoing efforts by Somali forces to weaken the terror group, which has been fighting the Somali government since 2007.
On the same day, Al-Shabaab launched pre-dawn attacks in several villages in the Hiran region. However, Somali military forces, backed by local militias, successfully repelled the assaults, according to the state-run news agency SONNA.
Somalia has faced persistent instability due to the presence of Al-Shabaab, which is designated a terrorist group by many nations, and the rise of Daesh. Al-Shabaab continues to challenge both the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).