BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 23. Regional forces in Somalia said they had taken back control of a strategic island, a day after it was overrun by heavily armed Al-Shabab militants, TurkicWorld reports via Arab News.
Al-Shabab stormed Kuday Island in the southern state of Jubaland on Wednesday in a bid to retake an area that was once an operational base for the group.
The local Jubaland administration said in a statement that its troops, backed by federal special forces, had fought for more than 24 hours on Kuday “and thwarted the ambitions of the enemy after fully eliminating their remnants today.”
It said at least 59 insurgents were killed and 42 injured, “while 10 of their battle vehicles mounted with heavy machine guns were destroyed.”
Locals confirmed the retaking of the island.
“We heard the sound of several heavy explosions this morning. Heavy fighting resumed on Kuday Island, and Shabab fighters were forced out. There was an airstrike in which several vehicles belonging to the Shabab were destroyed,” Abdi Illaan, a resident on the nearby island of Madhawa, said by phone, confirming information from other local residents.
Mohammed Hassan, a member of the Jubaland forces, said Somali special forces provided air support.
“The situation in Kudhaa has returned to normal now,” he said
Kuday Island, which is around 130 km southwest of Kismayo, was liberated from Al-Shabab in early 2015 by members of the Kenyan Defense Forces and the Somali National Army
