Battle of Hawadley

Battle of Hawadley
Part of Somali Civil War
Date January 17–19, 2023 Location Hawadley, Hirshabelle State, Somalia Result Somali victory
Belligerents
Somalia Somali National Army NISA	al-Shabaab
Casualties and losses
10 (per Somalia) 63 (per al-Shabaab)	49+ (per Somalia)

On January 17, 2023, al-Shabaab attacked a Somali army base in the town of Hawadley, Hirshabelle State, Somalia. In response, the Somali army launched counter-operations to secure the area.

Background

In late 2022, the Somali government under Hassan Sheikh Mohamud launched a massive counteroffensive against al-Shabaab in Somalia's Hirshabelle State.^[1] In the offensive, Somali forces recovered large swaths of the state, including Runirgod District, Ceel Guud, and Harardhere.^[1] In these offensives, they captured the town of Hawadley in late October.^[2]

Battles

The day of the attack, al-Shabaab militants placed a car with explosives outside the Somali Army's military base in Hawadley.^[2] Immediately afterward, jihadists stormed the base and shot at the Somali soldiers. Somali forces were able to hold onto the base.^[3] A Somali commander from a nearby town stated that seven Somali soldiers, including the base's commander, were killed in the attack.^[4] This number later rose to ten soldiers killed.^[3] al-Shabaab, immediately after the attack, claimed the deaths of sixty-three Somali soldiers.^[5]

Two days later, the Somali army in collaboration with NISA attacked al-Shabaab bases at farms on the outskirts of Hawadley. Forty-nine al-Shabaab fighters were killed in the battle.^[6] The attack was launched in response to the Hawadley base attack.^[6]

References