19 Al-Shabaab fighters killed in 2 air strikes in Somalia

Nineteen members of the Al-Shabaab movement were killed in two separate air strikes in the Galmudug and Hirshabelle states in central and southern Somalia, the Ministry of Information announced yesterday.

According to the statement, the Somali army, in cooperation with international partners, carried out two separate military operations in the towns of Geed Ma’arke and Ail Hili in the Hirshabelle and Galmudug states.

“The first operation that lasted for more than 24 hours took place in Geed Ma’arke village in Ruunirgood district, where the Khawaarij were preparing and killed up to 14 terrorists,” it added.

It noted that “a second operation targeted checkpoints where Al-Shabaab members were extorting money from the local population in the Ail Hili region of Galmudug State, resulting in the elimination of five militants.”

The Somali army, it explained, in cooperation with international partners, “has recently doubled its operations against Al-Shabaab fighters to defeat Al-Shabaab’s influence in the south and centre of the country, while the movement’s elements are trying to keep the remaining areas under their control.”

The two raids come a week after Al-Shabaab launched hit-and-run attacks on government and African military centres in the Lower and Middle Shabelle regions in the south of the country.

The southern and central regions of Somalia have recently witnessed violent clashes between the army, which is seeking to defeat Al-Shabaab elements, and the movement’s fighters, who are trying to regain the areas they lost to the army last year.

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