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May 29, 2012
Al-Shabaab's loss of Afgoye, a key stronghold of strategic importance, will be a severe setback for the al-Qaeda-affiliated group, analysts say.
![AMISOM soldiers patrol the Afgoye Corridor. Seizing the strategic city from al-Shabaab is a major victory for allied forces. [Mahmoud Mohammed/Sabahi]](/shared/images/2012/05/29/somalia-afgoye-battle.jpg)
AMISOM soldiers patrol the Afgoye Corridor. Seizing the strategic city from al-Shabaab is a major victory for allied forces. [Mahmoud Mohammed/Sabahi]
Somali government and AMISOM forces took control of Afgoye on Friday (May 25th) after a three-day military campaign.
"Al-Shabaab has suffered a huge defeat and the decisive victory achieved by government and AMISOM forces in Afgoye is a severe blow to the group; one from which it will not recover," retired Colonel Osman Aden, a political analyst, told Sabahi.
Aden said taking over Afgoye, 30 kilometres from Mogadishu, will make it easier for allied forces to secure the main road between Afgoye and Baidoa. "It also facilitates the provision of humanitarian aid to residents along the strategic road between the capital and Afgoye," he said.
Noor Yusif, a political analyst and expert on Islamist movements in Somalia, said, "The Somali National Army's success in tearing Afgoye from the grip of al-Shabaab, with support from AMISOM, is a significant military breakthrough, taking over the last rebel military stronghold near Mogadishu."
Yusif said al-Shabaab has been weakened since last year's deployment of Kenyan and Ethiopian forces in the country. "Military operations by regional, allied forces have weakened al-Shabaab's military capability," he told Sabahi. "Liberating Afgoye without significant resistance is a sign that al-Shabaab is on the decline and no longer has the capability to confront the military campaign against it."
Afgoye had been a main al-Shabaab stronghold for three years, and a major success for AMISOM forces since deployment in Somalia in 2007.
"The town of Afgoye was a fortified stronghold for Islamist rebels because it lies at a strategic crossroads, linking the capital, Mogadishu, with western and southern parts of the country," said political analyst Ahmed Omar. "It was also the second-most important al-Shabaab stronghold after the city of Kismayo."
"This accomplishment achieved by the national and AMISOM forces in Afgoye is a smashing military success in the fight against al-Shabaab. It represents the beginning of the end of the al-Shabaab movement," he told Sabahi.
"By taking control of Afgoye, the AU and Somali government forces are able to take full control of the main road connecting the capital with the western and southern regions of the country." He said the victory will cut military and logistical supplies from al-Shabaab fighters in the central and southern regions.
"Seizing Afgoye from the rebels' grip constitutes another defeat to al-Shabaab, which has been subjected to military pressure from a campaign by the allied regional forces in the central and southern parts of the country," he said.
Analysts say "Operation Free Shabelle" which led to the fall of Afgoye aims to help boost the security of Mogadishu, which is making preparations to soon host the country's first National Constituent Assembly.
"This campaign is contributing towards securing the capital, Mogadishu, which is preparing to host the constitutional conference of the National Constituent Assembly that will ratify the new constitution and prepare for the selection of Members of Parliament as well as the presidential elections that will take place on August 20th of this year," political analyst Abdul Fattah Osman told Sabahi.
"Taking control of Afgoye will tighten the noose around al-Shabaab and will deprive extremists of the opportunity to launch their attacks against Mogadishu from the town of Afgoye. This step will also allow national forces to defeat al-Shabaab and its al-Qaeda allies in Somalia," he added.
Al-Shabaab's withdrawal from Afgoye without fierce resistance follows a pattern of retreat, including a pull-out from positions in Mogadishu last August, and their abandonment of the key city of Baidoa to Ethiopian and Somali troops in February.
General Abdi Kareem Yusif Dhagabadan, chief of staff of the Somali armed forces and commander of operations against al-Shabaab, pledged to continue military operations.
"We are in complete control of Afgoye and will continue to hunt down rebels until we crush all the terrorists that have become fugitives," he told Sabahi. "These military operations will not stop until they are wiped out."
"Militants have a last chance to surrender," Dhagabadan said, calling on al-Shabaab fighters to turn themselves in to government forces.
AMISOM Lieutenant General Andrew Guti told Sabahi that al-Shabaab is on the run. "Rebels are losing the battle and losing hope," he told Sabahi. "They are on the run and the joint forces are making remarkable progress".
"This operation was meticulously planned and all necessary precautions were made to avoid civilian casualties," he said. By securing the Afgoye Corridor, humanitarian aid can now be delivered to 400,000 people living in the region, as al-Shabaab had banned relief agencies from helping affected and vulnerable groups.
Al-Shabaab said it deliberately retreated from Afgoye after AU forces entered the city with tanks.
"The jihadists executed a tactical withdrawal from some areas, but that does not mean defeat," said Abdiaziz Abu Musab, spokesperson for al-Shabaab's military operations. "We will continue fighting and will, without question, achieve victory. AMISOM's tanks will not intimidate us."
Security officials told Sabahi that al-Shabaab's statements are nothing more than an attempt to raise morale among its retreating fighters.
"After losing the city of Afgoye, al-Shabaab is trying to raise morale among its fighters who have fled areas seized by the joint forces, and have headed towards rural southern cities," said Mohammed Abdi Qadir, an officer in the Somali National Army.
Long lines of trucks and buses transporting refugees have been making their way toward Mogadishu. On Thursday and Friday, the region witnessed a large exodus from Eilasha and the Afgoye Corridor, seeking safety.
The operation to free Shabelle has forced hundreds of families to leave the temporary homes even though AMISOM and the Somali government have called for them to stay in their homes.
The Afgoye Corridor has been a temporary shelter for about 400,000 displaced persons who left their homes in Mogadishu and other areas over the past few years to escape fighting and drought.
Fartuun Ahmed told Sabahi she fled with her eight children from Eilasha. "We cannot stay there anymore because shells are falling and the sound of gunfire roars all around us," she said. "People are scared."
Deputy Director Dr. Mohammed Noor Jaal of the Office of the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs for the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) in Somalia called on warring parties to protect displaced populations in the Afgoye Corridor.
"We call on everyone to take necessary precautions to prevent injury or casualties among civilians and displaced persons," he told Sabahi.
He said humanitarian agencies and OIC partners are working to deliver humanitarian aid to displaced persons who have fled.
The United Nations also called on all parties to allow full humanitarian access to people in need in the Afgoye Corridor.
"While remaining strictly neutral and independent of political and military processes, humanitarian actors are co-ordinating preparations to ensure immediate assistance is available to civilians most affected by military activities in the corridor," UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs in Somalia Mark Bowden said in a statement on Tuesday.
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Reader's Comments
let us give support kdf forces,realy they a doing a good job,and i say congrat:,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,let us eradicate alshabab from somalia soil//////
Peace on you. I am an experienced old man but you youth have no experienced people amongst you. I would like to tell you that the country is under colony. If you think I am wrong, see how the country was besieged. You should not only focus on Al-shabaab, but the future of Somalia. Forget about Al-Shabaab because they are Somalis and think of if you are ready to put the country into the hands of enemies. I experienced the colony of Britain, Italy, Ethiopia, etc who are not ready for the Somalis to unite and restore peace in the country. Think broad and focus ahead.
somaliland ??????? star in east Africa where is that ????
I feel that the issue is different from what is being said. It is true that they committed crime against the people of Somalia and it is also true that they disintegrated but I don’t think that they were defeated by the Kenya Defense Forces and I don’t support the initiative to bring the Kenyan military to Mogadishu and Baidoa. If you recommend them to come, then it is like you are charging them with a duty that they cannot execute. On the issue of those who surrender themselves to the government, I would like to say that not all those who defect from Al-Shabaab are criminals and among them are those whose were serving Al-Shabaab by force. The criminals can be can be known and differentiated from those who are not criminal through investigations. I would like to urge Al-Shabaab to assist the government in restoring peace and stability in the country because they failed to achieve something for the seven years they were ruling the country.
The son of Godane is still at large and was not captured. That bastard from Hawiye clan should be brought before a court of law for the gross human right violation.
Look at this reply in the form of a poem: I did not sell my religion for a storey building in hell, I don’t value the world as compared to hereafter, you collaborated with my enemies yesterday, you supported my enemy when I defeated them, you covered up the dogs and pigs when I was pursuing them, I did not go after him in your houses, when you hide him from me, I did not astray from the right path of God specified in the religion, Darood Ismail does not know the trenches dug for him, and he has only realized after he was in the trench for years, you people should listen to my advice to elude disasters or don’t give a damn to what I am telling you, my advice can only help those who are wise but not the fools, you will not be assisted by the non-Muslims if you welcome them, you will be overthrown by the non-Muslims, you are welcoming them, don’t forget yourself with the money they give you, they will enslave and use you like donkeys, what can I do for you if you alert me after they have gone to beyond Adari and IImay because they have already taken farms there.
It is a God given respect which was endowed with those before us and God is able to do everything.
they say what is news. bad news is news. so when the news people wants u good you are good and if they want bad you are bad so its the other way.time will tell if they were good or not
ALSHABAAB YOU HAVE DONE ENOUGH DESTRUCTION.COME BACK TO YOUR SENSES AND HELP TO REBUILD YOUR COUNTRY.
there is good respectation of development in east africa except somalia but somaliland is the star
somaliland is the best new country in east africa every body should appropriciate for it
HA! THEY ARE DEFEATED.WHAT MORE?
IF YOU THINK THAT EVERYONE CAN LEAD SOMALIA, YOU BETTER THINK AGAIN. TAKE EXAMPLE FROM WHAT THE SHEIKH IS DOING NOW.
kuddos to our Kenyan Defence team. This will go a long way in our history.
There's time for everything , and it is obvious that the al shabaab time is nigh. They either shape up and surrender or ship out to the high seas where they belong. Even there, we shall be at their heels.Bravo to our brave soldiers who dared to dream of a peaceful neighbor.
wow, these people are not jokers no matter what threats we put to them they would not give in until the last man standing.These people are sure of themselves in the field of battle and they do not fear death.
The military campaign which is being done by officers of Kenya Government leave a lot.I appear from the beginning that the Government of Kenya wanted the military campaign to continue for a long time;for reason which are unkown in military.The delay might at the end prove to the Kenya government that the delay has caused extra cost to human and financial resources,which would not have been around if the flush out of Al Shaban from Kismayu was done earlier. The taking over of Kismayo should have been done at the earliest time:It should have been a blizkrieg operation by the military;giving out the insurgent a clear exit corridor from Kisimayo.There would have been little resistance from the enemy.But now we have These Al Shaban enicirled by forces to flush them from Kismayu.Such desperate group of people require troop with special trainings and light armaments to flush such desperate group .In fact one desperate armed soldier would require about 25 soldiers to be flushed out of a house and perhaps at a cost of life or lives. If the Kenya armed Forces in Somalia started with capture of Kismayo campaign; which would have lead to these Al Shabab guys melting into the hostile bushes,and now it would be very easy to persue them in the jungle and arrest them without sacrifices. But now things are completely different.It will cost the Kenya government a lot of money and human resources which would have beeb used elsewhere.
A dying donkey kicks hard and what we have seen from the recent past is just similar occurrences of the same Kenyan should not loose confidence with our own forces we got to pray for them always no matter what and also we should take concern of our personal security everywhere. God bless Kenya.
GOOD JOB BY THE KENYAN FORCES.THEY SHOULD KEEP THE SPIRIT SINCE PEACE IS PARAMOUNT IN THAT REGION.
Bravo all good soldiers. Maim the enemy for ever!
let the most equiped win and let the one on the truth win but what the hell it ganna be for the one on the wrong.
Bravo Amisom, there cannot be be peace with Alshababs in somalia, therefore i urge the amison to continue so that we can have a government in somalia.
Cograts to the defence forces working in somali your efforts must not be in vain ''the battle is the Lord's but the success is yours'' and if God if for you who is Al-shabab to be against you? May God give you the necessary wisdom and strength to achieve the goal. Al-shabaab walishindwa kitambo [has failed] they even went to an extent of removing their uniforms a sign of total defeat. "END OF EL-SHABAB ERA''. thanks to almight God where our strenght comes from this far he has taken us.
This is Wonderful to let somalia people to have peace. How can just a small group disorganize the country. They should be detoxfyied completely. They have no mercy to other people they are selfish. Sweep Sweep them. Let them eat grass. Happy Happy for KDF Hongera Somalia Hongera Kenyans Bernice Kageme
We only wanted peace to prevail, but the AU must not finish the innocent civilians in the name of fighting Alshabab, my message to AU is that they should smoke Alshabab out of their hiding cafes and bring them to justice.
WHEN AL-SHABAAB IS DESTROYED, I REQUEST THE GOVERNMENT TO CONSTRUCT A ROAD FOR US SO THAT WE CAN GO TO SOMALIA TO FARM AND SET UP PLOTS THERE JUST AS THEY HAVE DONE HERE AT HOME IN E-SIRI.
MAY THE LORD BLESS KENYA MILLITARY FORCES FOR THIER OUTSTANDING JOB. I LOVE MY COUNTRY KENYA.
Am suprised that 13 pople unlike this post! Are these Al-Shabaab? Anyway, Al-Shabaab should just stop fighting this war because they are just killing innocent Somali civillians for nothing. Al-Shabaab keeps claiming that they have retreated from towns that have been taken by AMISON troops. Thats a defeat, retreat or whatever name they want to call it, it is a defeat and they have been defeated!
IT'S GODS POWER.
It is a testmony of God's power against the wickend.
Theirs are the last kicks of a dying horse.Withdrawing from Afgoye is clear sign of defeat.Kismayo twaja, wait 4 us or surrender in peace.Bravo AMISON.
GOOD WORK KEEP UP.
this ple needs lots of education plus prayers for them to understand themselves and to live like human beings.i call upon the world to help ple of somalia more so on education and peace
yes we need peace in east AFRICA
ALSHABAB DONT YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO DO?????????????????COME BACK TO YOUR SENSES GOD NEVER CREATED YOU TO BE MURDERS HE HAS GOOD PLANS FOR YOUR LIFE PLIZ DONT KILL KENYANS REM YOU MUST SURREDER OREASE YOU WILL SEE THE KINGDOM OF DEVIL REM YOU ALSHABAB YOU ARE SONS OF DEVIL AND YOUR DAD IS A LOOSER
kudos AMISOM keep up the prwssure
gograturations to our dedicated soilders that why i long to be one of them
All of you loss the truth so come and test the thruth with as, we are Somalis we enjoyed peaceful atmosphere...without gun shots under Harakat Al-Mujahidiin Al-Shabab now Afgoye and other cities that offensively invaded by colonial troops are suffering from looting,rapping and also killing inocent people mainly women and children, have you ever heard alshabab rapped a girl? no, have you ever heard alshabaab looting properties? no, but when American merchaneries came to the cities more civilian suffer from humilation, to those ignorent and telling they are experts they are not experts they know nothing about Somalia Al-shabaab achieved Victory as they successed the hearts most Somali Muslim Community no matter if they loss cities the question who will remain for that cities is it for Slave Ugandan and Burundi troops (the merchaneries) or for Al-Shabaab(the Somalis)?
these people are devills. Lots of Somalis are suffering in Kenya and other camps because of the greed of Alshabaab..or whatever they call themselves...
I am a Somali and a patriot who loves his country and his people. I cannot live outside my country; Somalia. I would like to pray to God to restore peace and stability in my country and relieve us of the disasters that are happening in our country. The conflict in Somalia needs experienced politicians who can form a just system of governance that will resolve these long time conflicts. Thank you all.
Al Shabaab rest in peace. Very soon Somalia will be fully liberated. Just surrender. If you cannot beat them, join them.
with God all things r possible.........put God first in everything for in him we r not victors but more than that for he goes before us in form of a pillar of fire..........
let them undestand that their is over.
Bravo my brothers and neighbors in somali we will pray together
Its a step forward towards achieving a lasting peace in this region.The islamists have unfairly used the Islam Religion to create harvoc and has maimed many.We should give support to the entire Amisom Military personell and especially our very own-KDF. You have my support.
Heko Heko our heros, I salute you do your best.We are praying for you. Go, Go, Go----
al-shaabab should just surrender because they will automatically loose the battle and many will die including innocent civillians,what are your aims al-shaabab? Don't you know allah does not allow shedding of innocent blood? Amison and other forces should crush without mercy those who do not surrender.
good updates.keep up!
wao wipe them off we are welcoming somali whole hertedly to east africa countries coz it wll be a source of greener pastures to east africa member states congrates to our brave men who are pursuing the alshababs
FAIR NOT BAD
I expect that Al-Shabaab will be pushed out of all those areas they rule in Somalia, God willing. In case anyone among them is captured, then he/she should be punished the same way they used to punish others because they were the ones who have initially gone astray from the way of God. I wish misfortunes to befall Al-Shabaab for they have committed gross human rights violation against the Somalis.
KILL ALL THOSE ANIMALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They have for a long time blocked many roads but they are now victims of road barricade. KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK Even president Sharif escaped death by a whisker KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK.
that is good for the people to enjoy peaceful atmosphere...without gun shots...may the lord bless the country....