Laftagareen's Forces Take Control of Second District After Today's Battle

Buurhakaba (Caasimada Online) – The forces loyal to the former president of South West Somalia, Mr. Abdikasiis Hassan Mohamed (Laftagareen) launched an attack this morning on the town of Buurhakaba in the Bay region and have taken control of the town, which was previously held by government forces and those of South West.

A fierce battle that took place inside Buurhakaba has allowed the militia to fully seize control of the town, which is approximately 60 KM away from the city of Baydhaba, the temporary capital of South West Somalia.

Additionally, videos circulating on social media show ministers from the Laftagareen administration present in the center of the town, who were part of the fighting that occurred there, confirming that they have taken over the administration of the town.

The Laftagareen forces also presented prisoners they claimed to have captured during this morning's battle, but there are no independent sources to verify this claim, and there has been no statement from the officials of the Somali government forces.

The situation remains tense, and there are currently opposing movements taking place inside and around the town of Buurhakaba in the Bay region.

This is the second town within a week to fall into the hands of the forces loyal to the former president of South West Somalia, Abdikasiis Hassan Mohamed (Laftagareen), who took control of the town of Qansaxdheere in the Bay region on Friday, which is also approximately 90 KM away from the city of Baydhaba, the temporary capital of South West.

The takeover of the districts of Buurhakaba and Qansaxdheere comes at a time when the South West administration is facing political and security tensions, related to the struggle for leadership of the administration and the activities of the opposing sides.

This move could create further pressure on the current political leadership in South West, as the situation in the district and the movements of the forces need to be closely monitored.

So far, there are no independent details regarding how the Lafta-gareen faction managed to take over the district and the whereabouts of the forces that were previously stationed there. Additionally, there has been no official report on the casualties resulting from the takeover.

South West has previously warned about the plans of the forces loyal to Abdicasis Lafta-gareen, particularly that they may carry out attacks in other areas of the administration, stating that they failed in attempts made in the city of Baydhaba, the capital of the Bay region.