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Sunday November 16, 2025 Kismayo (HOL) — Jubbaland State forces, working alongside the Somali National Army and U.S.-trained Danab commandos, killed at least 56 al-Shabaab fighters during a coordinated operation across several villages in Jamaame district  in Lower Juba region on Sunday. The operation described by security officials as a “highly planned” assault targeted key al-Shabaab bases in Muse-Haji, Arare, Kobon, Bangeni, and Maleyley, areas the group has long used to stage attacks, collect extortion payments, and intimidate local communities. Commanders involved in the operation said allied forces hit multiple positions simultaneously, overwhelming the militants. Officials said 20 al-Shabaab members were captured alive, marking one of the largest group arrests in the region in recent months. Jubbaland authorities said the militants’ hideouts in the targeted villages were “completely destroyed,” a blow they described as a significant setback to the group’s operational capacity in Lower Juba. Images and reports circulated by Jubbaland state media showed razed compounds and seized equipment. Army officials said the offensive forms part of a wider campaign to clear al-Shabaab from rural pockets of southern Somalia, where the group has maintained years-long strongholds.They vowed the operation would continue “until the entire area is free from the threat of terrorism and normal life is restored to the people of Juba,” underscoring the government’s renewed push to regain territory ahead of broader national stabilization efforts.