Mahaas (Caasimada Online) – Al-Shabaab militants captured the strategic town of Mahaas in central Somalia on Sunday after intense fighting, forcing government troops and allied clan militias to withdraw in a significant blow to the government’s long-running offensive against the insurgents.
The fall of Mahaas, a critical command center in the Hiran region for over a decade, marks one of the most significant territorial gains for the al-Qaeda-linked group in years and signals a severe reversal for the Somali government and its allies.
Local sources told Caasimada Online that the attack began Sunday with a heavy assault on the town’s outskirts, near the border between the Hiran and Galgaduud regions. The battle, punctuated by several large suicide explosions, eventually pushed into the city itself.
“The fighting was very heavy… government forces and the local fighters have pulled out of the town,” a resident told reporters by phone.
The Somali government has not yet issued an official statement on the town’s capture. However, Al-Shabaab announced in a statement posted on its affiliated social media channels that its fighters were in “full control” of Mahaas.
The fighting resulted in heavy casualties on both sides, according to local reports. Among those confirmed killed was a senior security official, the commander of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) for the nearby city of Adado, who was participating in the battle.
A major strategic loss
The loss of Mahaas is a devastating symbolic and strategic defeat for the Somali government. For 13 years, the town served as a forward operating base and a crucial hub for planning and launching military operations against Al-Shabaab across the federal states of Hirshabelle and Galmudug.
Its strategic location made it the nerve center for coordinating the national army and the locally mobilized clan militias, known as the Macawisley. These militias, which rose against Al-Shabaab’s harsh rule and taxation, have been the cornerstone of the government’s counter-insurgency strategy since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared “total war” on the group in 2022.
The presence of the NISA commander from Adado, a city in the neighboring Galmudug state, underscores the town’s importance as a cross-regional command post, making its fall a blow to the entire security architecture of central Somalia.
The government’s offensive initially saw rapid success, recapturing dozens of towns and large swathes of territory from Al-Shabaab throughout 2022 and 2023. The campaign, which combined federal forces with the organic Macawisley uprising, was hailed by international partners, including the United States, as the most effective push against the militants in over a decade.
However, the offensive has stalled mainly over the past year. Analysts and UN reports have highlighted logistical challenges, inadequate resources for government forces, and a waning momentum among the clan militias, allowing the resilient Al-Shabaab to regroup and begin retaking lost ground.
The capture of Mahaas is the culmination of a series of recent gains by the insurgents. Earlier this year, the group seized the town of Moqokori, also in the Hiran region, and has been steadily increasing its attacks on military bases and government-held towns.
The situation in Hiran remains tense, with reports of military movements in surrounding areas as forces loyal to the government potentially prepare for a counter-attack. But for now, the black flag of Al-Shabaab flies over a town that was once the heart of the resistance against them, posing a grave challenge to the future of Somalia’s fight for stability.