The Somali government said on Thursday that its forces had killed about 40 Al-Shabaab terrorist fighters in the Middle Shabelle region, the latest clashes in a months-long offensive against the militant group.
On Sunday, the group, linked to the Al Qaeda terrorist organization, stormed a hotel near the president’s residence in the capital, Mogadishu, killing nine people.
The government says it has killed more than 600 members of the extremist group al-Shabaab and recaptured 68 residential areas over the past three months.
Officials say the movement’s presence has affected the delivery of international aid and compounded the impact of the country’s worst drought in four decades, bringing Somalia to the brink of famine.
“The security forces and our international allies have killed about 40 Al-Shabaab fighters and wounded several others,” the Somali Information Ministry said in a statement.
The ministry stated that the operation took place in a forest near a village in Middle Shabelle last night and was previously planned.
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