After three weeks of fierce street-to-street combat, joint UPDF and Somali troops liberated Bariire, dealing a major blow to al-Shabaab’s grip on Lower Shabelle.
Bariire, Somalia:– For over three tense weeks, the dusty streets of Bariire echoed with the sound of gunfire, as joint forces of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and Somali National Army (SNA) fought to wrest the strategic Lower Shabelle town from al-Shabaab control.
The town, lying just 60km from Mogadishu, has long been a key militant stronghold, a supply corridor and staging ground for raids on Somalia’s capital. Allowing it to remain under the resurgent Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen was not an option.
The Push to Reclaim Bariire
The operation began quietly in mid-July 2025, under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) — a transitional mission mandated to gradually hand security responsibilities to Somali forces. Reconnaissance units moved first, mapping militant positions and intercepting supply lines.
When the offensive began in earnest, UPDF armoured units rolled in from the west, while SNA infantry advanced from the south. Over the following days, fierce street-to-street fighting ensued, with militants using snipers, improvised explosive devices, and trenches to slow the advance.
“Bariire was fortified,” recalls Colonel Chris Magezi, Military Assistant to the UPDF Chief of Defence Forces. “Every compound could be a firing point. But the joint forces maintained pressure and forced the enemy into retreat.”
Breaking al-Shabaab’s Grip
Midway through the battle, militants tried to regroup by flooding fighters from nearby villages into the town. However, coordinated air reconnaissance and ground assaults cut off reinforcements. Gradually, resistance thinned.
By early August, the black flag of al-Shabaab had been pulled down from Bariire’s main administrative building. The joint forces had prevailed.
“This victory is not just about territory,” said Col. Magezi. “It’s about denying al-Shabaab the ability to threaten Mogadishu and demonstrating that the AU–Somali partnership works.”
A Second Blow in Two Months
Bariire’s recapture comes just weeks after the liberation of Sabid-Anole in June 2025, another major Lower Shabelle victory for the UPDF under AUSSOM. Together, the twin gains are reshaping the security map south of Mogadishu.
For the SNA, each operation is a step closer to assuming full control of Somalia’s security, as AUSSOM’s transitional mandate moves towards completion.
In the words of one SNA commander on the ground: “This is a message to al-Shabaab — there is no safe place left for you in Lower Shabelle.”
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