MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – At least 60 al-Shabaab fighters and dozens wounded after clashes with Somali government in central Somalia, the country’s defense ministry confirmed.
In a statement, the ministry said a joint operation by the Somali National Army and its international partners was conducted in the village of Hilow Bacaad, eight kilometers southwest of Halgan in the Hiiraan region.
The operation also destroyed several al-Shabaab military bases and arsenals in the area.
According to the ministry, the operation is part of a larger campaign to liberate the Hiiraan region from the al-Shabaab fighters.
The development comes as Somalia’s top leaders call on the people to prepare for the fight against Al-Shabaab, stressing the need to focus on the fight against extremism.
An estimated 8,000 troops have been strategically deployed to Galmudug to boost counter-terrorism measures, forming the critical second phase of the anti-terror campaign.
The operations dubbed Black Lion are expected to jointly conduct by Somali forces, clan militias as well as troops from the neighbouring countries.
Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti which all have troops working under the framework of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis) have accepted to help the Horn of Africa nation carry out the operations against al-Shabaab.
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