Laftagaren forces attack Somali army positions in Baidoa again

On Sep 3, 2026

MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Heavy fighting erupted in Baidoa on Thursday after forces loyal to ousted Southwest State President Abdiasis Laftagaren attacked the city from multiple directions, seizing two federal army bases on its outskirts before entering the town and engaging government troops in fierce gun battles that lasted for hours.

Laftagaren’s Darwish forces entered Baidoa early in the morning, according to a spokesman for the forces, who said they would continue fighting until the last federal soldier leaves the region and control of the region is fully restored to its people.

The forces later withdrew from the city, bringing the fighting to an end.

Southwest State Information Minister Nur Sidow told reporters in Baidoa after the fighting that those who had attacked the city were Al-Shabaab, and said the assault had begun with suicide car bombs.

The Somali federal government made a similar claim last month after Laftagaren’s forces launched another attack on Baidoa. Regional authorities and the federal government have yet to provide any tangible evidence for the assertion that the attackers were Al-Shabaab.

The latest fighting left multiple people dead and caused other casualties, although there are no official figures.

Among those killed was the commander of the personal guards of current Southwest leader Adan Madobe. Isaq Abdulle, commander of the Somali army’s 8th Brigade of the 60th Division, sustained serious injuries.

Baidoa was once a relatively peaceful town under Laftagaren, but it has become a battleground since he was toppled.

The repeated attacks by his forces have exposed the inability of the federal government and its Southwest allies to defend the city, even after thousands of troops were deployed there since March, analysts say.

The latest assault highlights the continuing security crisis in Baidoa, where recurrent fighting has challenged the federal government’s control of the Southwest State capital.

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