2025 Shabelle offensive
| 2025 Shabelle offensive | |||||||||
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| Part of Somali Civil War (2009–present) | |||||||||
Approximate map of the current phase of the Somali Civil War (Updated June 2025) Somalia: Under control of the Federal Government of Somalia, the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia, and the United States
Jihadist insurgent groups: Somaliland: (For a more detailed map of the current military situation, see here.) | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
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Kenya Supported by: United Nations United Arab Emirates United States Ethiopia Uganda Djibouti Egypt Qatar Russia United Kingdom Italy Burundi | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Odowa Yusuf Raage Sahal Abdullahi Omar Maj. Col. Abukar Abdulle Garmaqate † Mohamed Nur Jareere † Haji Fareey † Hussein Haji Mohamed (Aw Koombe) † Lt. Col. Nur Mohamed Gabow (Nur Farey) † Asad Osman Afrah † Abdullahi Aden Hussein (Cirro) (WIA) Col. Abdirahman Hujale † Ali Abdullahi Hussein Abdi Yusuf Salad "Abdi Goomey" † Michael Langley Berhanu Jula Seif Salim Rashid Joseph Musoke Ssemwanga Zakaria Cheikh Ibrahim Abdel Mageed Saqr Recep Tayyip Erdoğan |
Ahmad Diri Mahad Karate Ali Mohamed Rage Yusuf Dhegnaas † Abukar Buulle Mansoor Timo-Weyne † Abu Hanifa † Nur Abdi Roble † | ||||||||
| Units involved | |||||||||
| Military of Al-Shabaab | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
Per UN:
| 3,000 militants | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
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550+ killed (Somali government claim) 700 killed (al-Shabaab claim) ~230 injured Several captured 145–600 Missing in Action 7 police personnel killed; 4 injured 3 killed, 3 injured 3 killed; 6 injured 7 injured 1 helicopter shot down | At least 571 killed | ||||||||
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50 civilians killed 210 injured | |||||||||
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The 2025 Shabelle offensive (Somali: 2025 Shabeelle weerar, Arabic: هجوم شابيلي ٢٠٢٥, romanized: Hajūm Shābilī 2025), also known as Operation Ramadan (Somali: Hawlgalka Ramadaanka, Arabic: عملية رمضان, romanized: ʻAmalīyat Ramaḍān), is an ongoing military campaign in central Somalia, primarily in the Middle Shabelle, Lower Shabelle and Hiran regions, with periodic clashes in the Banaadir region. The offensive was launched by jihadist militant group al-Shabaab against the Somali National Army (SNA), African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) forces, and allied Ma'awisley clan militias. The group seeks to encircle the capital, Mogadishu, and regain territory lost in the 2022 Somali government / African Union offensive, particularly strategic towns and supply routes.
The offensive began on 20 February 2025, with coordinated attacks on multiple Somali military positions, which included ground assaults using car bombs. Al-Shabaab temporarily seized several towns before being repelled by government and allied militia forces. Subsequent attacks in late February targeted key locations such as Bal'ad, a district capital near Mogadishu. Balad and other towns were quickly recaptured. In mid-March 2025, al-Shabaab attempted to assassinate the president of Somalia. Both the United States and Ethiopia have conducted airstrikes against al-Shabaab insurgents during the fighting.
The campaign is part of a broader escalation in Somalia's insurgency, with al-Shabaab attempting to exploit security gaps created by the transition from ATMIS to AUSSOM. Thousands of Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) troops are reportedly preparing to deploy in an attempt to bolster SNA/AUSSOM forces. Analysts suggest the timing of the offensive may be linked to Ramadan and seasonal factors affecting militant operations.