Somali Army Ready for Major Operations Against Al-Shabaab in Bay, Bakool and Gedo

The Somali National Army has completed preparations for major military operations against Al-Shabaab in Bay, Bakool, and Gedo, according to the Ministry of Defence.

More than 7,000 special forces personnel are ready to participate in the planned campaign, which aims to liberate areas held by the armed group across the three regions.

The ministry said the army had finished its preparations and was ready to conduct the operations. The campaign’s stated objective is to remove Al-Shabaab from territory under its control in Bay, Bakool, and Gedo.

The readiness announcement places the three regions at the center of the planned military effort. It concerns preparations for the campaign and the forces committed to it, with the army positioned to move from preparation to operations.

According to the ministry, the force assembled for the campaign includes more than 7,000 special forces personnel. Their participation forms the central element of the preparations described by the ministry.

The planned operations cover Bay, Bakool, and Gedo, bringing all three regions within the scope of the campaign. The ministry’s announcement identifies the liberation of Al-Shabaab-held areas as the purpose of the deployment.

The completion of preparations marks the army’s readiness to undertake that mission. The ministry presented the campaign as a major operation against the armed group, with the assembled special forces ready to participate.

For the army, the immediate task is to carry out the planned operations toward the stated territorial objective. The announcement concerns the readiness of the force for that task, rather than a declaration that the targeted areas have already been liberated.

The ministry’s account centers on three points: preparations are complete, more than 7,000 special forces personnel are ready, and the operations will focus on Al-Shabaab-held areas across the three regions.

Bay, Bakool, and Gedo remain the named targets of the planned campaign. According to the Ministry of Defence, the Somali National Army is now ready to conduct the major operations for which it has prepared.

The campaign is intended to reclaim territory from Al-Shabaab, with the army’s preparations complete and the participating force ready for the mission ahead.