Somali soldiers in Lower Shabelle have captured Al-Shabaab fighters during an operation in the Qoryoley district on Thursday, according to state media.
The militants are said to be captured with landmines and were allegedly on their way to the capital Mogadishu to lay them.
The Somali military said that the captured Al-Shabaab fighters have confessed to carrying out bombings across southern Somalia, including Janale, Barire, Sabid, and Afgoye, which have killed and maimed civilians.
The UN estimates that 669 people were killed in Somalia by IEDs last year, up from 501 recorded in 2020. The vast majority of the victims were civilians, with the Al Qaeda-linked insurgency group claiming responsibility for most of them.
