BAIDOA, Somalia — September 3, 2026 — Darawish forces loyal to Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed “Laftagareen” withdrew to Baidoa’s outskirts after entering the city and battling federal government troops for approximately four hours on Thursday, security sources said, following intense clashes that forced civilians to flee several neighbourhoods.

The fighting began at around 5:30 a.m. local time. The sources did not specify why the fighters withdrew or identify their positions outside the city.

Civilians Flee Fighting Across Seven Neighbourhoods

Reports from Baidoa identified Alfaras, Suuqa Xoolaha, Boonkaay, Al-Axmaar, Darasalam, Tawfiq and Bukriyey as affected by the fighting. Heavy gunfire and explosions were reported as opposing forces fought inside residential areas.

Some residents reportedly sought refuge at Cambaha Mosque in Galgalgooban, seeking protection in its concrete structure from stray bullets, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar shells. The number sheltering there was not immediately known.

Earlier reports indicated that several civilian homes caught fire after being struck by rocket-propelled grenades. Those accounts remained unverified, with no confirmed information on the number of properties affected, casualties inside the homes or responsibility for the reported strikes.

Electricity service was also cut. The supplier described the shutdown as a precaution to reduce the risk of electric shocks, but no timetable for restoring power was available.

There was no verified overall casualty toll. Reports also indicated that a federal military commander had been wounded, although no independently confirmed update on the officer’s condition was available.

Earlier Battlefield Claims Remain Unconfirmed

Before the reported withdrawal, Laftagareen-aligned fighters were said to have advanced into several neighbourhoods and contested military camps occupied by federal troops.

Reports indicated that they had taken control of neighbourhoods between Cunaay and Ceel Cabdi Shiraay. The forces also claimed to have captured the Boonkay military base.

A senior member of the Laftagareen-aligned forces separately claimed that fighters had seized three armed vehicles belonging to federal troops supporting Sheikh Aden Madobe’s administration.

None of those claims was independently verified. The subsequent report of a retreat left unresolved whether fighters retained any positions or had taken captured vehicles and equipment with them.

Spokesman Called for Federal Officers to Surrender

During the fighting, Ugaas Hassan, spokesman for the Darawish forces loyal to Laftagareen, posted a message on Facebook urging officers commanding federal troops to surrender immediately.

Hassan had earlier announced an offensive to take Baidoa. He called on residents to remain indoors and instructed his fighters to avoid harming civilians.

His surrender appeal came before the reported retreat. No explanation from the spokesman for the withdrawal was available in the accounts received.

Baidoa Online had reported military preparations before the clashes, including movements by Laftagareen-aligned forces outside the city and federal troops digging defensive trenches inside it.

Those earlier reports described preparations by both sides but did not establish the strength of the forces deployed or their operational plans.

Rival Administrations Contest South West State

The confrontation centres on a struggle between two administrations claiming political legitimacy in South West State.

Sheikh Aden Madobe leads the administration based in Baidoa, supported by federal government troops. Laftagareen heads the competing administration, whose loyalists had been positioned mainly outside the regional capital before Thursday’s offensive.

The reported withdrawal followed several hours of fighting inside the seat of Madobe’s administration. It did not resolve the rival claims to leadership, and the latest accounts did not provide a verified picture of military control across the city.

The fighting brought the confrontation directly into residential neighbourhoods. Reports of civilians fleeing, seeking shelter in a mosque and losing homes to fire underscore the immediate risks to residents, although the full scale of displacement and damage remains unknown.