The Somali Army has recaptured the strategic town of Awdhegle in the Lower Shabelle region from the al-Shabaab terrorist group, the Defense Ministry reported.

The Ugandan People's Defense Force (UPDF), serving under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), backed the operation as part of Silent Storm, an ongoing campaign to clear al-Shabaab strongholds in Somalia.

According to the Ministry, as part of the ongoing effort aimed at liberating areas where al-Shabaab militants continue to hide, Somali national armed forces, working with African Union troops, "this morning entered Awdheegle town in the Lower Shabelle region."

The agricultural hub of Awdhegle, which is located about 89 kilometers (55 miles) from the capital, Mogadishu, and sits on vital supply and reinforcement routes used by the Somali army and African Union peacekeepers for movement and logistics, is a strategically important location.

Huge blast shakes Mogadishu

Meanwhile, in Mogadishu, a massive blast followed by gunfire was heard near a detention facility where Somalia's intelligence service often holds  al-Shabaab militants, according to a police officer and multiple witnesses who spoke to AFP on Saturday.

After a huge explosion, several witnesses told AFP that smoke rose above the Godka Jilicow detention facility before the gunfire erupted.

"We heard an enormous explosion and I went onto my building's roof. I saw a lot of smoke and an intense exchange of gunfire broke out at Godka Jilicow," Jamal Nure, a witness, told AFP, noting that "security force reinforcements are rushing to the scene."

A policeman stationed nearby, Mohamed Hassan, told AFP, "I do not have any details about the incident, but the information we have received indicates an attack by Al-Shabaab."

A wave of renewed attacks by the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab movement has hit Somalia, a nation located in the Horn of Africa. Since launching an offensive at the beginning of the year and seizing control of dozens of towns and villages, the group has undone nearly all the progress made by the Somali government during its military campaign in 2022 and 2023.