Somalia’s Defence Ministry said troops killed 75 militants in Monday’s battle on the Baidoa-Mogadishu road, but Somalia casualty figures differ: al-Shabaab claimed 321 soldiers died and soldiers told Reuters dozens were killed.
Reuters reported that the fighting took place in the Jameeco area of Buurhakaba district. Somali Guardian placed it between Leego and Burhakabo. AFP placed it in Lower Shabelle, near Leego. The road links Baidoa and the capital.
No official count of soldiers killed or wounded had been published as of Wednesday, Oct. 28. None of the figures from the militants, soldiers or officials has been independently verified.
What the Defence Ministry said
The ministry said troops killed 75 militants and wounded 56 after a major assault on Oct. 26, AFP reported. The ministry said the attack “damaged some military vehicles.”
The ministry said the attackers used explosive-laden vehicles. Reuters reported that it gave no figure for soldiers killed or wounded. Somali Guardian reported that the ministry said the operation would continue.
Al-Shabaab’s claim and accounts from soldiers
Al-Shabaab claimed it killed 321 troops and took prisoners, weapons and vehicles in a three-hour ambush on Monday afternoon, AFP reported. AFP said it could not verify the claim.
Two soldiers, identified only by first names, told Reuters that dozens of soldiers were killed. One said he helped carry 40 dead and more than 100 wounded to hospitals in Mogadishu. The other said car bombs destroyed five military vehicles.
An unnamed security source told AFP the source doubted that hundreds of soldiers were killed. The source said at least four military vehicles were destroyed.
The figures by source
The table sets out each figure as reported by AFP and Reuters, with the party that gave it.
| Source | Figure given | Reported by |
|---|---|---|
| Defence Ministry | 75 militants killed, 56 wounded | AFP |
| Al-Shabaab | 321 troops killed | AFP |
| Two soldiers (first names only) | Dozens of soldiers killed; one helped carry 40 dead and more than 100 wounded | Reuters |
| Security source (unnamed) | Doubted hundreds of soldiers were killed | AFP |
Convoy report and the Turkish drone denial
Somali Guardian reported that the force was a convoy of about 2,000 troops and more than 200 vehicles, part of what it called Operation Banooda to reopen the Baidoa-Burhakabo-Mogadishu road. It said a second column from Baidoa was ambushed earlier on Monday and that the plan to link up at Burhakabo appeared to have failed, and that forces loyal to Abdiaziz Laftagaren claimed that attack. AFP and Reuters did not report those details.
Somalia’s National Security Office said on Tuesday on X that reports of Turkish aircraft or armed drones striking Somali National Army positions near Leego were “false and misleading,” FTL Somalia reported.
Why Somalia casualty figures are contested
Each number in this case comes from a party to the fight or from an unnamed person close to it. The government has published militant losses but not its own. Al-Shabaab has published a soldier toll that AFP said it could not verify. The soldiers and the security source gave figures that sit far apart from the militants’ claim.
Former president Sharif Sheikh Ahmed called for an independent and transparent investigation, AFP reported.
Analyst Samira Gaid told AFP that the attackers came in layers on a narrow, muddy road. In AFP’s account she said the decision to send the troops “wasn’t well planned.”
The road matters because it links the south-west to the capital, and the reported operation was meant to reopen it. AFP reported that Somalia ousted South West State’s governor earlier in 2026, and that forces loyal to Laftagaren have attacked repeatedly. The government says he works with al-Shabaab. The wider dispute over who holds power is covered in our report on Somalia’s 2027 election mandate dispute.
Funding pressure on the army
AFP reported that Turkiye is a key backer of the government, while the United States and other donors are reducing support for counter-insurgency. It said Washington stopped funding a UN logistics mission that supplies combat operations, and that soldiers face salary cuts.
The UN mission’s handover is covered in our report on the UN mission closure and handover. Earlier government operations are covered in our report on military airstrikes against al-Shabaab in Middle Shabelle.
What happens next
Somali Guardian reported that the ministry said the operation would continue. The ministry had not published a count of soldiers killed or wounded as of Oct. 28. Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has called for an independent investigation, AFP reported.
