MOGADISHU (Banaadir24) — Al-Shabaab has claimed that it killed 321 Somali government soldiers during clashes near the town of Leego in the country’s Lower Shabelle region, as questions remain over the scale of casualties in the latest fighting.
In a statement issued after the clashes on Monday afternoon, the armed group said the fighting took place in the Jameeco area, near Leego, and lasted more than three hours. It also claimed that a large number of soldiers were wounded.
The group said the convoy comprised nearly 110 military and other vehicles, adding that its fighters had seized armoured vehicles, technicals, cargo trucks, weapons and military supplies.
Al-Shabaab also alleged that F-16 fighter jets and Turkish-operated drones had supported Somali government forces during the confrontation. These claims could not be independently verified.
The group said the clashes occurred along the area between Leego and Jameeco and indicated that further details would be released.
The reported death toll, the number of wounded soldiers and claims that military equipment had been captured remain unconfirmed. No independently verified figures were immediately available to establish the extent of the losses suffered by either side.
The latest fighting comes amid continued insecurity in parts of southern Somalia, where government forces and allied fighters have been battling Al-Shabaab, an armed group that has waged an insurgency against the Somali government for years.
