Al-Shabaab Seizes Teedaan in Central Somalia After Two-Day Battle

Al-Shabaab militants seized control of Teedaan, a strategic town in Somalia's central Hiiraan region, on Sunday after two days of intense fighting, forcing Somali government forces and allied Macawisley clan militias to withdraw, security sources said.

The al-Qaeda-linked group described the operation as a coordinated assault and claimed responsibility for the takeover in a statement issued Monday. The claim was confirmed to AFP by residents in areas near Teedaan.

Local sources described Teedaan as a key defensive position guarding approaches to Beledweyne, Hiiraan's regional capital, and said Al-Shabaab fighters have since pushed closer to the city following the town's fall.

The setback comes despite gains Somali federal forces made in Hiiraan and Middle Shabelle in 2022 and 2023, when a coordinated offensive backed by Macawisley militias and international partners drove Al-Shabaab out of large parts of central Somalia and raised hopes the insurgency's territorial hold was collapsing.

Somalia's government has fought Al-Shabaab for close to two decades. The group still controls substantial rural territory despite repeated military campaigns and African Union-backed operations to dislodge it. Mogadishu has not yet issued an official response to the loss of Teedaan.