The 2009 timeline of events in the Somalia War (2006–2009) during January 2009 is set out below. From the beginning of February the timeline of events in the Somali Civil War (2009–present) is set out following the conclusion of the previous phase of the civil war.

Casualties +Fatality reports – (A minimum – based on news reports published in this timeline) Month Ethiopiansoldiers Somalisoldiers* Othersoldiers** Pro-governmentIslamists Insurgents Pirates Somalicivilians Total January 14 76 1 1 35 5 462 594 February None 19 11 3 28 2 177 240 March None 46 1 19 40 3 59 168 April 6 6 unknown unknown 26 8 108 158 May 2 18 1 29 113 unknown 233 395 June unknown 21 1 31 36 unknown 171 260 July unknown 7 8 6 57 unknown 154 232 August unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown September unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown October unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown November unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown December unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown unknown TOTAL 22 193 21 88 335 18 1,364 2,041

January

January 1, 2009 9 civilians killed, 1 TFG official killed In Afgoi District eighteen miles south of Mogadishu, a Somali journalist covering fighting between al-Shabaab members and a moderate Islamist group was shot and killed in the cross-fire of a vicious firefight. No other casualties are known.

A Transitional Federal Government parliamentarian was assassinated in Baidoa as the TFG's care-taker President promised the appointment of a new President soon as attacks increase on TFG and Ethiopian soldiers.

Insurgents attacked and killed eight civilians in an attack on Bakara Market.

January 2, 2009 2 Ethiopian soldiers, 7 civilians, 2 TFG officials killed A roadside bomb exploded killing two Ethiopian soldiers hours before Ethiopian troops began to withdraw from the capital of Mogadishu. Soldiers then opened fire into a crowd of civilians killing at least 5.

Four assassinations were carried out in Mogadishu and Baidoa killing two TFG government officials and two civilians, including a powerful Sufi sheik.

January 3, 2009 3 TFG Sufi militiamen, 2 insurgents, 1 civilian killed Fighting occurred in northern Somalia in the community of Guri'el 270 miles north of Mogadishu between Sufi militiamen nominally in support of the transitional government under the banner of Ahlu Sanah Waljama'ah against Al Shabaab insurgents that resulted in the deaths of six people mostly on each side except for one civilian that had been shot to death earlier in the day by Ethiopian soldiers.

January 4, 2009 4 Ethiopian soldiers, 2 Somali soldiers, 3 civilians killed A roadside bomb on the outskirts of Mogadishu killed four Ethiopian soldiers as they were heading out of the city on a military withdrawal convoy. Elsewhere in Mogadishu three civilians were shot to death by mutinous TFG soldiers who were trying to extort these civilians and soon after the shooting other government soldiers opened fire on the mutinous soldiers resulting in the deaths of two TFG soldiers, not known if they were mutineers or TFG supporters.

January 5, 2009 1 Ethiopian soldier, 40 civilians killed 40 civilians were confirmed killed in recent fighting in the Galgaduud region.

Also, a brief firefight erupted in Qansah Dheere resulting in the death of one Ethiopian soldier that was assisting the takeover of the town from Al Shabaab militants. Al Shabaab withdrew and there isn't any information on insurgent casualties.

January 6, 2009 1 Ugandan soldier, 4 Sufi TFG militiamen, 2 insurgents killed, 1 civilian killed A roadside bomb on the outskirts of Mogadishu struck a Ugandan patrol vehicle killing one Ugandan soldier and injuring another. In south-western Somalia, gunmen shot and killed a World Food Program officer.

In Guriel, fighting between insurgents and government backed moderate militiamen resulted in the deaths of six people, four believed to be militiamen and two thought to be Al Shabaab insurgents.

January 7, 2009 2 Ethiopian soldiers, 4 Somali soldiers, 3 TFG militiamen, 1 insurgent killed A roadside bomb exploded in the community of Towflig in the Yagshid district which is north of Mogadishu killing four TFG soldiers and injuring two others.

On the road between Baydao and Diinsoor in the Bay region of South-western Somalia, an al-Shabaab ambush hit a militia driven out of Kismayo in September and Ethiopian troops in support of the militia. This militia is independent of the transitional government and it has recently seized at least two towns in the Bay Region to further the conflict with Ethiopian backing. In this attack insurgents reported heavy enemy casualties, 3 militiamen, 2 Ethiopians seen dead and a fellow insurgent killed in the exchange of fire.

January 8, 2009 1 Somali soldier, 1 U.N aid worker killed A Somali national working for the World Food Program was shot and killed in the village of Daynile. His body was placed into a vehicle after he was shot and then dumped on the highway where other aid workers collected it. This is the second U.N official killed in Somalia this week.

Fighting in Mogadishu between government soldiers and Al Shabaab insurgents left one soldier dead and another seriously wounded.

January 9, 2009 1 Moderate ICU official killed In the district of Cabud Waaq, an Islamic Court Union official was shot and killed and another seriously injured.

5 Somali soldiers, 1 civilian killed The mayor of Garbaharey town in Gedo region where fighting has been ongoing between al-Shabaab forces and Ethiopians for the last two weeks and resulted in the deaths of 5 bodyguards.

January 10, 2009 5 Somali pirates killed A small skiff connected with the ransoming of a Saudi supertanker capsized killing five pirates in the Sea of Aden.

4 civilians killed The town of Balad 45 kilometers east of Mogadishu fell to heavy-armed Islamic Court Union (ICU) forces after an intense firefight with Al Shabaab militants. Four civilians are reported dead and an unknown number, thought to be high, dead on both insurgent sides.

January 11, 2009 3 Somali soldiers, 3 Ethiopian soldiers, 25 TFG militia, 18 insurgents, 4 civilians killed The town of Guriel was occupied by Sufi transitional government militiamen early this morning after Al Shabaab fighters left the town thinking Ethiopian troops were coming. At day break, Al Shabaab fighters returned to the town and retook the community from government forces leaving 41 fighters dead in total, 25 suspected TFG fighters and 16 Al Shabaab fighters.

In Mogadishu, three government soldiers were shot and killed in the K4 area of the city in fighting that also left two insurgents dead, the four remaining insurgents who attacked the soldiers grabbed rifles and ammunition from their corpses before other troops arrived on the scene. A rocket-propelled grenade struck an Ethiopian convoy in another part of the city killing three Ethiopian soldiers. Elsewhere 4 civilians were killed in a grenade attack.

January 12, 2009 2 Ethiopian soldiers, 4 Somali soldiers, 5 insurgents, 11 civilians killed Islamic insurgents launched mortars onto the Presidential Palace in Mogadishu when Prime Minister Hussein was in the building resulting in a government return of fire into Bakara market that resulted in the deaths of 8 civilians. In total, 2 Somali soldiers and 3 more civilians were killed in the mortar attack on the palace.

Meanwhile, in fighting 12 kilometers north of Bardhere town in southern Somalia 9 fighters, including at least 5 insurgents, were killed. The fighting occurred on Kilaliyow Mountain and Ethiopian and Somali troops were victorious.

January 13, 2009 Ethiopian troops started to withdraw from Mogadishu, pulling out of their two main bases in the city overnight, and were heading back into Ethiopia. There were scenes of jubilation among Mogadishu residents as the troops left.

January 14, 2009 14 civilians killed Insurgents fired mortars at the presidential palace in Mogadishu to which government forces retaliated with their own mortar fire which killed five civilians.https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090114/ap_on_re_af/af_somalia Also, in fighting in the Wardigley district another nine civilians were killed.http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/090114/world/somalia_unrest_ethiopia2ndlead

January 15, 2009 11 Somali soldiers, 2 insurgents, 2 civilians killed Fighting between Al Shabaab forces and a government backed militia in the Lower Shabelle region of KM60 resulted in the deaths of 7 Somali militiamen and 2 Al Shabaab insurgents and the capture of at least 100 militiamen as prisoners. In Bardhere Town SW Somalia, an explosion killed 4 Somali militiamen including a commander and killed 2 civilians and injured two civilians.

January 16, 2009 1 civilian killed Abdirahaman Xaji Mohamed known as Wadiiro was executed in Kismayo by Islamic insurgents after being convicted in a kangaroo setting of being against the Al Shabaab government in the Lower Shabelle region. He was then shot and killed by gunmen.

January 17, 2009 310 civilians killed 310 civilians in two different incidents drowned trying to cross the Sea of Aden to Yemen from Somalia directly linked to the anarchy of President Yusuf's resignation and the resurgent Al Shabaab insurgents and subsequent pull-out of Ethiopian soldiers.

January 18, 2009 2 civilians killed Al Shabaab insurgents launched mortar shells at AU peacekeepers in Mogadishu killing 2 civilians and injuring nine other people.

January 19, 2009 Islamist insurgents re-capture the town of Bardhere after Ethiopian troops withdraw from the town.

2 civilians killed Islamic fighters attacked government militiamen in Mogadishu at an illegal checkpoint resulting in a heavy fire fight of heavy weapons that claimed the lives of two civilians in the cross-fire. Insurgents took over the checkpoint but withdrew when government forces began arriving.

January 20, 2009 5 Somali soldiers, 1 insurgent, 6 civilians killed Two battles occurred in Mogadishu resulting in the capture of a government checkpoint by Islamist insurgents in the Sinay district and the push back by government forces in the Madina district resulting in the deaths of 5 soldiers, 1 insurgent and at least 6 civilians.

January 24, 2009 1 Somali soldier, 1 insurgent, 21 civilians killed A suicide car-bomb intended for AU peacekeepers in the capital exploded killing 17 civilians. No AU soldiers were hurt or killed. An ensuing gunfight left another four civilians and one policeman dead.

January 25, 2009 Ethiopian troops completely pulled out of Somalia.https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090125/ap_on_re_af/af_ethiopia_somalia_withdrawal_2

January 26, 2009 4 Somali soldiers killed Both ARS wings (Asmara and Djibouti) call for an end to fighting in Mogadishu and dialogue over the presence of AU forces in the capital. Islamist forces take Baidoa, the last major city controlled by the Transitional Government. Pro-Government (or rather anti-Islamist) forces remain in control of a corridor of territory along the border with Ethiopia, and most of Gedo and Bakool.

Fighting between victorious Al Shabaab militants and government soldiers in the capture of Baidoa left four government soldiers dead and a number of them taken prisoner by the Al Shabaab Islamists. However, by decree all Somali soldiers that were captured in the battle were released by the Islamists and local clan elders told civilians in Baidoa to continue "life as before".

January 27, 2009 5 civilians killed Police and military units connected to TFG politicians personal clans have entered into Baidoa to fight Al Shabaab militants but have turned on each other over clan differences. Explosions and heavy fighting has been heard and at least five civilians have been killed and ten combatants wounded. Al Shabaab is getting a hold of the situation.

January 28, 2009 10 civilians killed