17 militants killed in military operation in central Somalia

At least 17 al-Shabab extremists were killed on Wednesday in a military operation in Bule Burde town in the central region of Hiran, a military officer said on Thursday.

SNA commander for Unit 27th Ahmed Mohamed told journalists that the army conducted an operation in the town following intelligence from the public.

“There was stiff resistance from the militants, but the army managed to subdue them, killing 17 of them,” Mohamed said.

He noted that those killed in the operation included Abdulkadir Fidow who was in charge of operations for al-Shabab militants in Bule Burde and two other senior leaders.

The latest operation came amid sustained operations by Somali forces against al-Shabab extremists in central and southern regions where the militants are still in control of rural areas, conducting ambushes and planting landmines.