95 al-Shabaab terrorists killed, 7 villages liberated in military operations in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) — The Somali Defense Ministry said on Monday that the army, backed by local and international partners, carried out military operations against the al-Shabaab group, killing more than 95 “terrorists”.

The Somali National Army (SNA) conducted operations in Middle Shabelle, Galgadud, and the north-central province of Mudug.

First Lieutenant Sheikh Abukar Mohamed, the ministry’s spokesperson, said in a media briefing in Mogadishu on Monday evening that 45 terrorists were killed and three villages were liberated during the military operation in Middle Shabelle.

In another operation in the Galgadud region of the central state of Galmudug, 50 more al-Shabaab terrorists were killed and five villages were taken back from the terrorist group.

Earlier, on Oct. 10, the Information Ministry announced that 59 al-Shabaab “terrorists” and four soldiers were killed during military operations in Somalia’s south and central provinces.

Over 100 al-Shabaab “terrorists” were killed earlier this month, bringing the total number of militants killed to 254 in this month’s military operations.

The Somali government has been fighting al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists since the Somali president declared “an all-out war” in 2022, but both sides have a history of exaggerating casualty figures.

Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with the main threats emanating from al-Shabaab and the ISIS groups.

Since 2007, al-Shabaab has been fighting the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) — a multidimensional mission authorized by the African Union and mandated by the UN Security Council.