MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somali government forces killed about 75 Al-Shabaab fighters and wounded 56 others during a prolonged offensive in Jameeca, near Buurhakaba district in the southern Bay region, the Defence Ministry said.
The ministry said the Somali National Army launched the assault on October 26 as part of Operation Banooda, targeting Al-Shabaab positions in several locations around Jameeca.
The reported death toll and number of wounded could not be independently verified.
During the fighting, Al-Shabaab fighters attacked military vehicles with explosives-laden vehicles, damaging some army vehicles, according to the ministry’s statement. It did not provide further details about casualties among government forces.
The ministry said the army would continue Operation Banooda, which aims to weaken Al-Shabaab’s operational capabilities and the networks supporting the militant group.
The offensive is part of ongoing military efforts to target the group’s strongholds and prevent it from regrouping in areas where government forces are seeking to strengthen security.
The Defence Ministry and the army command praised troops involved in the operation and said military operations against Al-Shabaab would continue.
Al-Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency against Somalia’s federal government for more than 15 years, frequently carries out ambushes and bomb attacks against security forces and government targets.
The latest fighting highlights continuing efforts by Somali forces to dislodge the group from its positions in parts of southern Somalia.
