Somali security forces backed by international partners have killed more than 160 al-Shabab militants in four-day operations carried out across the country, a government official said.
Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Daud Aweis Jama said the terrorists were eliminated in separate operations in HirShabelle and Southwest states on July 28-31.
Aweis told a weekly news conference that more than 100 militants were killed in the Galgaduud region in central Somalia, while over 60 others were eliminated during the military operations in El Dhun in the Southwest region.
“During the operations, the Somali national forces destroyed vehicles and other equipment belonging to the enemy,” the minister told journalists in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
The government has been waging a formidable war against the al-Shabab militants since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud came to power in May 2022.
The extremist group, however, still controls some parts of rural southern and central Somalia and continues to carry out high-profile attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere despite increased onslaught by government forces.
