15 Al Shabaab terrorists killed in encounter with security forces in Somalia

At least 15 al-Shabaab militants were killed in a fierce gunfight with security forces in Dhusamreb, the capital of the central state of Galmudug in Somalia. Somali National Army (SNA) spokesman Ali Hashi Abdi said several militants were also injured in the encounter near the town of Dhusamreb. He said security forces have also recovered weapons in retaliation after militants ambushed SNA personnel in the area between the town of Dhusamreb and the village of Al-Dhere.

Mr Abdi reported that SNA forces killed 15 al-Shabaab fighters in an encounter between the towns of Guriel and Dhusamareb in the Galgadud region of central Somalia. Several terrorists were also injured in the encounter and 10 guns were recovered.

He said the operation was carried out after the SNA received an intelligence report that al-Shabaab militants had planted landmines on the main road. The terrorist group fighting the internationally-backed government has claimed to have killed eight soldiers, including a senior army commander, in the attack.

Significantly, such a deadly attack has come at a time when the electoral process is about to start in the states of the country, which will end in October in the form of presidential elections. These days government forces have intensified operations against al-Shabaab in the central and southern regions. Al-Shabaab has been designated a terrorist organization by Australia, Canada, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.