Elite Gorgor Commandos Neutralize Al-Shabaab Cells in Middle Shabelle

Somalia's elite Gorgor Commando unit conducted a targeted counter-insurgency operation in the War-Iise district of Middle Shabelle, dismantling al-Shabaab cells that had been using the area as a covert hideout and staging ground. Colonel Dhamme Mohamed Omar Dufaan, commander of the 195th unit, confirmed the mission aimed to track down al-Shabaab fugitives hiding among the civilian population. The operation is part of the broader Operation Rolling Thunder / Operation Bader campaign intensifying across southern and central Somalia during Ramadan 2026. No civilian casualties were reported. The Middle Shabelle operation follows a pattern of SNA special forces being deployed to disrupt al-Shabaab's rural infiltration networks ahead of potential attacks on urban areas.