MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Jubaland regional forces captured control of most of Raskamboni town following intense clashes with Somalia’s army, who were overwhelmed in several hours-long battles, forcing many to flee towards the Kenyan border and surrender, Caasimada Online news website reported on Wednesday.
Images circulating on social media depicted over a dozen Somali soldiers surrendering to Kenyan border guards and their rifles piled in heaps, highlighting the extent of chaos within the ranks of troops who had been airlifted to Raskamboni just weeks earlier.
The Somali army’s defeat in Raskamboni is a major setback to President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s bid to oust Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe—renowned for outlasting multiple federal leaders—and comes just after Mohamud deployed nearly a thousand troops to the town, aiming to establish a strategic base for expanding his influence across the region.
The battle raged throughout Wednesday, with both sides accusing each other of provoking the conflict, which appears to favor Jubaland leader Ahmed Madobe, who faced the greatest threat to his leadership in over a decade when President Mohamud deployed troops to Raskamboni late last month, sparking mass defections within Jubaland’s forces, drawing numerous regional commanders to his side—who were later identified and placed under house arrest—and executing maneuvers in the Gedo region to weaken Madobe’s influence there.
Jubaland asserted that it inflicted heavy losses on Somali government troops, with dozens of soldiers surrendering to its forces, vowing not to harm any of the surrendering troops, including those airlifted to Raskamboni. It also condemned the use of drone strikes against its forces during the fighting, calling it a blatant violation of the arms embargo lifting and pledging to identify countries responsible for the attack.
Meanwhile, the Somali federal government alleged that Jubaland President Ahmed Madobe contacted Al-Shabaab, which reportedly provided him safe passage through territory under their control to advance towards Raskamboni and launch an attack on government troops.
