Mogadishu, (Idil News) – the majority of central and south Somalia’s fall into chaos as Al-Shabaab militants unleash hell in a Taliban-style power grab, seizing at least 15 towns and settlements across the Middle Shabelle, Hiiraan, and Lower Shabelle regions. Named “Operation Ramadan,” the militant group’s blitz has left the administrative capital of Jowhar under siege and forced Hirshabelle State’s president to flee like a bat out of hell, echoing former Afghan leader Ashraf Ghani’s Kabul exit in 2021.
Since February 20, Al-Shabaab’s declared “total war” on Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration (HSM), with their sights set on Mogadishu, the nation’s beating heart. The U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu isn’t taking chances, issuing a dire warning of an “imminent attack” targeting the city—including Aden Adde International Airport. Embassy staff are grounded until further notice, and airlines like Egyptair, Turkish Airlines, and Qatar Airways have yanked flights to the capital after the alert.
The terrorist, emboldened and on the march, have Somalia teetering on the edge. The FGS is scrambling, banning weapons and armored vehicles for officials at Mogadishu Airport—except for the president and prime minister’s entourages—hoping to lock down the chaos. But President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s firing back, accusing the U.S. Embassy of “spreading propaganda” with their threat warnings. Bold words from a leader whose country’s been a Level Four “Do Not Travel” no-go zone under the U.S. State Department for years, plagued by terrorism, crime, kidnapping, and piracy.
Oppositions say Mohamud’s tenure has turned Somalia into a terrorist playground since he took power. With Al-Shabaab closing in, the FGS looks outmatched—and Mogadishu’s staring down the barrel of a jihadi takeover. The clock’s ticking.