Somali media have published photographs from the recently liberated town of Bariire in the Lower Shabelle province, showing dozens of fighters from the al-Qaeda–linked group al-Shabaab killed by Somali forces. The battle for the town lasted several days.

Bariire holds strategic importance: located just 60 km from the capital, it sits on key supply routes used by government forces in their fight against the militants. The surrounding lands are among the most fertile in Somalia, and al-Shabaab sought to control these agricultural areas to extort farmers and expand its influence.