UPDF and Somali army capture Bariire, over 100 Al-Shabaab fighters killed

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Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF) troops serving under the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), in a joint operation with the Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF), successfully captured Bariire town yesterday, Friday, August 8.

Bariire is the second town in the country’s lower Shabelle region to be liberated by the UPDF from the violent militant group after Sabid-Anole fell in June 2025.

The military campaign, code-named Operation Silent Storm, marks a significant milestone in the ongoing efforts to weaken Al-Shabaab’s control in the Lower Shabelle region, states a release from the UPDF directorate of communications. 

Soldiers of the joint forces celebrating after the capture of Bariire. (Courtesy)

The operation followed days of an all-out ground combined arms offensive and siege, which led to flushing out Al-Shabaab terrorists from their hideouts, trenches, and tunnels in Bariire town, resulting in the recapture of the town from Al-Shabaab control.

A suspected Al-Shabaab terrorist nabbed in the operation in Bariire town. (Courtesy)

Sources at the frontline revealed that the success follows a joint troops' three-week battle against Al-Shabaab terrorists.

UPDF release states that Bariire had become a strategic location where the terrorists planned deadly attacks, concealed ammunition, including vehicles for Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIEDs), and staged illegal checkpoints to tax locals.

According to the media package which included several photos from the battle field, the joint forces inflicted heavy casualties on Al-Shabaab terrorists, with over 100 Al-Shabaab fighters put out of action (POA), over 50 injured, and others captured during the second phase of Operation Silent Storm to recapture Bariire town after the successful recapture of Sabiid and Anole towns in the Lower Shabelle region.

The joint forces also recovered 30 submachine guns, 6 PKMs, 4 RPGs, 8 sniper rifles, and a cache of live ammunition as they bowed to the threat from joint forces.

During this inspection of the battlefield, AUSSOM Force Commander, Lt Gen. Sam Kavuma, congratulated the joint forces for a successful offensive.

AUSSOM Force Commander, Lt Gen. Sam Kavuma, congratulated the joint forces after the successful operation. (Courtesy)

“I commend the brave efforts of our gallant AUSSOM UPDF troops and the Somali National Armed Forces to degrade Al-Shabaab. AUSSOM is fully committed to implementing the Somali Transition Plan, which will culminate in the transfer of security responsibilities to the Somali security forces,” he said.

Maj. Akampuriri, commander Km-67, showing the hotspot direction of the enemy. (Courtesy)

Relatedly, the Sector One Commander, Brigadier General Joseph Musoke Ssemwanga, described the capture of Bariire as "another huge blow to the Al-Shabaab and a major achievement to AUSSOM UPDF troops, SNAF, the Somali Government and the locals.” He also   thanked the troops for their resilience and bravery that saw the defeat of Al-Shabaab in Bariire town

AUSSOM and SNA forces are currently holding the seized grounds and clearing small pockets of Al-Shabaab terrorists in the areas of Bariire district and nearby areas in the Lower Shabelle region of Somalia. The operations aim to degrade and eliminate Al-Shabaab terrorists from Somalia, creating a safer, more secure, and peaceful Somalia.

The UPDF troops are operating under the transitional African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), a transitional mechanism that is designed to eventually hand over responsibility for security in the country to the country’s security forces led by the SNA.