On April 24, 2025, Al-Shabaab militants attacked the village of Wargaadhi in the Middle Shabelle region in an attempt to capture a strategic Somali National Army (SNA) base. There are conflicting reports as to how the operation unfolded — including from within the SNA — but after multiple airstrikes by AFRICOM, Somali government forces were able to repel the attack. According to local and international media reports, from 20 to over 40 militants and up to one dozen government soldiers were killed in the incident.

Al-Shabaab launched the attack before dawn using a series of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and then entered the town, “setting fire to several structures and military vehicles,” according to local media reports. In a statement cited in international media reports, the group said it “captured the base” and village of Wargaadhi.

Military and government officials refuted the claim. “This was a brief and contained attempt [by Al-Shabaab] which was quickly neutralized,” said SNA Lieutenant Colonel Mohamed Ibrahim Interfeer, commander of the 18th Battalion of Gorgor, which was stationed in Wargaadhi. “False reports suggesting we lost the village are part of [Al-Shabbab’s] propaganda.” Similarly, the Somali Ministry of Defence released a statement cited in local media reports that “Wargaadhi remains fully under the control of the Somali National Army and local forces.”

Yet, in an interview with Reuters, multiple lower-ranking SNA officers partially contradicted the clear-cut narrative of their higher command. “Our forces lost 12 men, mostly (clan fighters),” SNA officer Hussein Ali said. “Around 20 al Shabaab fighters were also killed. … But finally al-Shabaab got more reinforcements and managed to capture the town.” The SNA struggled to deploy reinforcements, Ali said, because the access road to Wargaadhi passed through areas controlled by al-Shabaab. Two unnamed SNA soldiers also told Reuters that government forces, backed by AFRICOM airstrikes, “managed to recapture part of the town” by mid-morning.

AFRICOM confirmed their involvement in the operation, announcing that “In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) conducted a collective self-defense airstrike against al Shabaab on April 24, 2025. The airstrike occurred approximately 120 miles north of Mogadishu in the Middle Shabelle region of Somalia.” The AFRICOM statement did not include any information on casualties.

Wargaadhi is the SNA’s second-largest military base in the Middle Shabelle region and acts as a bridge between bases in Eel-Dheer and Masagaway in the central state of Galmudug.