The fighting near El-Adde began when al-Shabaab militants ambushed a convoy of allied troops from Elwak district heading to El-Adde village.
Sheikh Mohamed Hussein Al-Qadi, a spokesman for ASWJ in southern Somalia, told Somalia Report that the fighting took place 15 km from El-Adde and their troops killed dozens of al-Shabaab fighters. “They launched a cruel ambush, but our troops with the help of Kenyan forces, repelled the extremists and forced them to run,” he said.
Locals reported airstrikes carried out by the Kenyan planes, and the ASWJ spokesman confirmed al-Shabaab's bases in the region had been struck. Al-Shabaab's casualties are unknown, but ASWJ and TFG sources claimed more than 20 were killed.
At least four people were reported dead in the war from both parties. Six others were reported injured, two of the injured were civilians.
Fighting also broke out in El-Bur. Abdiweli Siyad, the head of military operations for ASWJ in Somalia's central regions, told Somalia Report, “The fighting broke out at around 11am (0900 UTC) when al-Shabaab attacked an ASWJ base in El-Bur. Although we were not expecting the attack at first, the ASWJ forces managed to send the attacks back. The enemy's attack failed, and two of their fighters were killed.”
Residents described the fighting, “We heard gun shots. The town activities came to a standstill, most of us took shelter in the few stone buildings in the town and others stayed in their homes,” Suge Abdikadir, a resident of El-Bur, told Somalia Report.
The al-Shabaab militants were forced out from the town of El-Bur at the end of March and the ASWJ militia remains in control of the town.