Somali Army kills dozens of al-Shabab militants in Hirshabelle state

No fewer than 70 members of the Islamist armed group Al-Shabab were killed in a coordinated military operation involving Somalia’s National Army and local forces, the Information Ministry announced on Tuesday.

The Al-Qaeda-linked group, which has waged war against the federal government for over 15 years in an attempt to impose Islamic law, suffered significant losses in the Hirshabelle state, south-central Somalia.

“Over 70 extremist militants were eliminated through the coordinated efforts of the National Army and local forces,” the ministry stated, confirming that a large cache of weapons was seized, and several combat vehicles used by the extremists were destroyed.

While AFP could not independently verify the casualty figures, multiple eyewitness accounts confirmed the intense fighting. “The armed men of Al-Shabab were beaten,” said one resident, who reported seeing “dozens” of bodies in the combat zones.

Military sources said the operation was launched in response to a series of recent Al-Shabab attacks in the region. The terrorist group remains a persistent threat despite being driven out of Mogadishu by African Union forces in 2011.

Somalia’s President has vowed “total” war against Al-Shabab, and the army has joined forces with local militias in an offensive supported by the African Union (AU) and US airstrikes to eliminate the group’s strongholds in rural areas.