More than 70 members of the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab were killed in a joint military operation carried out by Somalia’s national army and local forces, the country’s information ministry announced on Tuesday.
The operation targeted several locations in the Hirshabelle state, a region in south-central Somalia, in response to recent Al-Shabaab attacks in the area.
“Over 70 extremist militants were eliminated through the coordinated efforts of the National Army and local forces,” the ministry said in a statement.
The government also confirmed that a large cache of weapons was seized, and multiple combat vehicles used by the militants were destroyed during the offensive.
Although AFP could not independently verify the death toll, several local residents confirmed heavy clashes and reported seeing dozens of militant bodies at the combat sites.
“The armed men of Al-Shabaab were beaten,” one witness said, adding that the militant group suffered significant losses.
Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group, has been engaged in a violent insurgency against the Somali federal government for over 15 years. The group has carried out numerous bombings and attacks in Mogadishu and other regions.
Although African Union forces pushed Al-Shabaab out of Mogadishu in 2011, the group remains active in rural areas. Somalia’s president has vowed to wage a “total” war against the militants, with the military campaign supported by local militias, an African Union force, and U.S. airstrikes.
