Somali forces kill 11 Al Shabab terrorists, foil suicide attack
The Somali army and allied community fighters killed 11 Al Shabab terrorists in separate operations in the Mudug and Bakool regions and foiled an attempted suicide attack, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.
The Somali army and allied community fighters killed 11 Al Shabab terrorists in separate operations in the Mudug and Bakool regions and foiled an attempted suicide attack, the Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.
The Macaawisley community fighters in Harardheere district carried out a planned raid on the village of Dumaaye in the north-central region of Mudug, killing six Al Shabab terrorists and recovering four AK-47 rifles along with other ammunition and equipment, the ministry said in a statement.
It said Somali National Army troops separately disrupted an attempted Al Shabab suicide attack near Dabaagalo, about 35 kilometres northwest of Harardheere, thwarting the Al Qaeda-affiliated group's plan to "destabilise security in the area."
According to the statement, government forces also mounted an operation along the Garasweyne-Moraagabey route, about 37 kilometres west of Hudur in the southwestern region of Bakool, killing five Al Shabab terrorists and seizing two AK-47 rifles and other gear.
Senior members of terrorist group killed
It said the dead included senior members of the terrorist group: Ibraahim Caliyow, Mohamed Macalin, Aadan Mohamed Same, and Abdullahi Aadan Dheere.
Since July, the Somali army, with the support of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and other international partners, has increased operations against the Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group in Somalia's south and central provinces.
Al Shabab, which has waged terrorism against the Somali government for more than 16 years, frequently targets security forces, officials, and civilians.