Published: · Region: Africa · Category: conflict

Somali Army Raid Exposes How Al‑Shabaab Keeps Re‑arming From Its Enemies

Al‑Shabaab fighters overran Somali National Army positions in central Hiran, seizing Turkish-made rifles, heavy machine guns, mortars, anti-tank rockets and even electronic warfare systems. The haul underscores how every lost outpost in Somalia can turn government-supplied hardware into fresh firepower for an Al‑Qaeda affiliate.

When Al‑Shabaab fighters stormed Somali National Army positions in Teedaan, in Somalia’s central Hiran region, they did more than kill or drive off the soldiers stationed there. They walked away with a small arsenal of modern weaponry that had been in government hands, including Turkish-made service rifles, heavy machine guns, mortars, anti-tank rockets and electronic warfare systems, according to battlefield imagery shared by the group’s supporters. The raid, reported on 8 August, targeted SNA positions in an area that has seen repeated clashes as Mogadishu tries to extend its control beyond major urban centers. Visual evidence posted online shows militants parading captured MKE MPT‑76 rifles and MKE PMT‑76/57A machine guns…

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