At least five people have been killed and nine others injured after an armed confrontation involving Al-Shabaab fighters erupted at a market in Tardo, Hiiraan region, with reports indicating that the violence began after an armed local resident refused to surrender his weapon.
The incident occurred on Thursday, October 8, when Al-Shabaab fighters reportedly arrived at the market and attempted to disarm the man who was carrying a gun.
According to local sources cited by Caasimada Online, the man refused to hand over his weapon, triggering an exchange of gunfire that left civilians caught up in the violence.
The shooting reportedly resulted in five deaths and injuries to nine other people, with those wounded taken to medical facilities for treatment.
However, casualty figures remain unclear. A separate report from Gobolada Radio cited preliminary information indicating that at least 11 civilians had been killed, with an additional number wounded, while another report said more than 10 people had been affected but that the exact toll had not been established.
How the shooting started
The confrontation is understood to have started as an attempt by Al-Shabaab fighters to seize a weapon from a young man in the area.
The fighters reportedly confronted the armed man and ordered him to surrender his gun, but he refused.
The disagreement then escalated into an armed confrontation between the militants and local residents, with gunfire subsequently spreading through the area.
Local reporting described the incident as particularly serious because Tardo is a busy trading point where people from parts of Hiiraan and neighbouring Middle Shabelle travel for commerce and other activities.
The violence therefore occurred in an area where civilians and traders were present, increasing the risk of casualties as the confrontation unfolded.
Conflicting reports on situation
There were also differing accounts of the security situation following the shooting.
Caasimada Online reported that the situation had become calm after the violence and said Al-Shabaab had not issued a statement concerning the incident.
Another report, however, said heavy fighting was continuing in Tardo and that the situation remained tense.
The conflicting accounts make it difficult to establish the final casualty toll or determine whether the confrontation had completely ended at the time of reporting.
Authorities had also not publicly released a definitive casualty figure.
Hawadle-Al-Shabaab agreement
The Tardo violence comes only days after reports that sections of the Hawadle clan and Al-Shabaab had reached an understanding intended to end hostilities in parts of Hiiraan.
Reports published earlier this week said traditional elders and Al-Shabaab representatives met in Maxaas, where a 16-point statement was reportedly reached concerning an end to fighting between the two sides.
The reported understanding has attracted considerable attention because Hawadle communities and Macawiisley fighters from Hiiraan played a major role in the campaign against Al-Shabaab in 2022.
Those local forces fought alongside Somali government troops and helped push Al-Shabaab out of several areas before the militant group later regained significant territory in central Somalia.
The reported agreement has therefore raised questions about the future of local armed mobilisation against Al-Shabaab in Hiiraan.
However, the agreement should not be treated as a universally accepted peace deal.
Hirshabelle authorities have challenged the legitimacy of the elders who participated in the talks, with the regional Minister of Interior saying they did not represent the wider Hiiraan community. The administration has also indicated that action could be taken against those involved in the engagement with Al-Shabaab.
At the time of this reporting, Al-Shabaab had not publicly claimed responsibility for the deaths or issued an explanation for the confrontation.