SNA Kills Two Al-Shabaab Commanders in Madulow Operation, Lower Shabelle; Base Dismantled

Somalia National Army units from the 26th unit, 6th division, and 60th division conducted a targeted operation in the Madulow area of Lower Shabelle region on April 27, 2026, killing two senior Al-Shabaab commanders — Hassan Biid and Abdullahi Garweyne — along with several other fighters. SNA forces also destroyed an Al-Shabaab forward base used to stage operations and dismantle extortion infrastructure targeting local communities along the Lower Shabelle corridor. The Madulow operation is part of the ongoing Operation Bader/Rolling Thunder campaign in Lower Shabelle, which has sought to push Al-Shabaab out of the Mogadishu hinterland and the Shabelle River valley. Lower Shabelle remains one of Al-Shabaab's most active operational zones, providing proximity to Mogadishu for VBIED attacks, assassinations of SNA-aligned figures, and extortion of agricultural communities. The elimination of the two named commanders reflects a continued SNA/NISA high-value targeting (HVT) approach in the southwest. The operation occurred as SNA command maintained multi-front pressure — from the Bakool frontlines to the Hiiraan counter-mobilization — despite the converging constitutional crisis in Mogadishu.