El Lahelay, located 20 kilometres north of Halgan district in the Hiiraan region, was captured by Somali government forces and anti-al Shabaab militia.
For the past few days, the joint forces have been conducting operations against Al-Shabaab fighters in the northern and eastern parts of the Hiiraan region.
During parts of the operation, federal MPs, Hirshabelle ministers, and the governor of the Hiiraan region were present.
The number of people killed in the fighting in El Lahelay is unknown.
The governor of the Hiiraan region, Ali Jeyte Osman, praised the locals for working with government forces to drive Al-Shabaab militants out of their regional strongohlds.
Somali security forces have captured at least ten villages from al Shabaab in the last few days as troops intensified operations against Al-Shabaab in the Hiiraan region.
During the group’s incursion into Ethiopia last month, 200 Al-Shabaab militants crossed the border into Somalia from Hirshabelle, according to the region’s governor.
