Mogadishu: More than 100 al-Shabab terrorists were killed in the deadly clashes between the Somali National Army (SNA) backed by regional Galmudug forces and the militants, a government official confirmed.
Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Daud Aweis Jama told a media briefing in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Thursday that the number of al-Shabab fighters who sustained injuries is more than those killed during clashes in the Mudug region.
Aweis said the allied forces also destroyed weapons, military equipment, and the group’s hideout base in the forest, which they used to launch attacks in the region, Xinhua news agency reported.
“The militants had sought refuge in the dense forests of the Mudug region, where they wanted to establish a stronghold. However, the combined forces launched a relentless offensive, successfully dislodging the militants from their intended sanctuary,” he added.
The Minister said another military operation is underway at a forest in the Mahaday district to flush out the terrorists who have been hiding in the jungle.
He added the government forces backed by the local forces and international partners have sustained an onslaught against the militant in the past two months, killing more than 1,650 al-Shabab fighters and injuring more than 550 others during military offensive in Galmudug and Hirshabelle.
Somalia has been beset by terror incidents for many years with the main threats originating from al-Shabab militants who have engaged government forces in near-daily attacks.
The Somali army, backed by local militias and international partners, has been engaged in a sustained offensive against al-Shabab since last year when President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared “all-out war” on the terrorist group.
–IANS