Heavy fighting in Galgadud enters third day as Al-Shabaab claims victory in battles

Mogadishu (Harar24) – For the past three days the areas between ‘El-Bur and Wabho & surrounding areas in the Galgadud region have seen very fierce battles between the Ethiopian forces and the Al-Shabaab militants.

Residents near the small town of Wabho have reported that Al-Shabaab set up an ambush yesterday for the Ethiopian forces that had left the town of Mahas while headed for ‘El-Bur, the ambush however sparked a fierce fight between the two groups. Also yesterday during the afternoon the militants ambushed another column of Ethiopian forces that had left ‘El-Bur head for Da’ village.

Al-Shabaab have been eagerly reporting such attacks with their official military spokesman claiming to have destroyed at least two military vehicles belonging to the Ethiopian forces. “After cutting their supply lines, they tried to come out of their bases and we successfully ambushed them several times and destroyed two of their vehicles” said Sh. Abu Mus’ab the Al-Shabaab spokesman. Abu Mus’ab further accused the Ethopian forces of killing an elderly man at the tiny village of Dab Qurun near the village of Da’ and thereafter burned him in his “bush house”. According to local media the elderly man was identified as Nur Hayle Ulusow who was aged 80 years old.

Although ambushing is one of Al-Shabaab’s most common strategies, the militants have lately been putting a lot of emphasis on ambushing and using the element of surprise against the Ethiopian forces in order to gain the upper hand.

The Ethiopian forces however have been desperately trying to bypass these “blockades” and overcome these ambushes and have shown determination each time to ensure the roads and their supply routes are clear. However, with very little to no support from the local hostile tribes the Ethiopians are left to fend and look out for themselves in these rough terrains.

With the killing of the eighty-year old Mr. Ulusow, the Ethiopian opened a can of worms and risk the vengeance of the already hostile tribes, who are known for the fierce and relentless ways in battle.