BUURHAKABA,OCt,15,2026- Somalia — South West State Darwish forces loyal to Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen have captured the strategic town of Buurhakaba following heavy fighting with federal government troops backing Sheikh Aden Mohamed Nur Madobe, according to multiple security sources.
The reported takeover on Thursday marks the second district claimed by Laftagareen-aligned forces in approximately two weeks, following their reported capture of Qansaxdheere. It represents a significant advance in the widening military and political confrontation in South West State.
Security sources said Laftagareen’s forces secured control of Buurhakaba after launching an early morning offensive. Earlier accounts from residents and a security official indicated that the forces had taken most neighbourhoods before subsequent reports described the town as fully under their control.
The extent of that control could not be independently verified. Casualty figures remained unclear.
Residents reported intense exchanges of gunfire and explosions during the fighting, with both sides reportedly using heavy weapons.
Ugaas Hassan, a spokesman for the Laftagareen-aligned South West State administration, said the operation began at approximately 5:20 a.m. local time. He described it as an effort to restore security and retake the town, and urged residents to remain inside their homes while military operations continued.
Footage emerging from Buurhakaba appeared to show Laftagareen-aligned Darwish forces patrolling the streets as residents watched. Other images showed Hassan Abdulkadir, the security minister in the Laftagareen-aligned administration, walking through the town following its reported capture.
Commander Bakaay, a senior officer in the Darwish forces, was also seen receiving an enthusiastic welcome from groups of young residents. The footage showed youths gathering around the commander and celebrating the forces’ arrival.
Although those scenes indicate support among the people shown, they do not establish the views of the town’s wider population.
Residents and a security official also reported that a portrait of Aden Madobe had been removed from the town centre as Laftagareen-aligned forces advanced into areas previously held by federal-backed troops.
Buurhakaba occupies a strategically important position on the main road connecting Mogadishu with Baidoa, South West State’s administrative capital. The route carries civilian traffic, commercial goods and military supplies between the two cities.
Control of the town could give Laftagareen-aligned forces greater influence over movements along that corridor and complicate supply operations for federal-backed forces supporting Aden Madobe in Baidoa.
The reported capture follows the takeover of Qansaxdheere approximately two weeks earlier, suggesting an expansion of Laftagareen’s territorial presence. Whether his forces can consolidate control of Buurhakaba, and how federal-backed troops will respond, remained unclear.
There was no immediate response from federal authorities or Aden Madobe’s camp in the information available for this update. The whereabouts of troops who had held the town, the scale of any civilian displacement and the full toll of the fighting were also unclear.
