At least 70 al-Shabaab terrorists killed in military operation in Somalia

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - At least 70 al-Shabaab terrorists were killed Sunday in a military operation conducted by the Somali National Army backed by local militias in north-central Mudug province.

The joint force raided al-Shabaab terrorist hideouts and gathering places in the town of Aad.

Ringleaders of the terrorist group were among those were killed in the operation, according to Somali Deputy Information Minister Abdirahman Yusuf Al Adala, who spoke to local media.

The Somali Defense Ministry, which also confirmed the operation, said “recent military actions in Mudug and Galgaduud have dealt significant blows to Khawarij and their militias.”

Khawarij is a term the Somali government uses to describe the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab.

The operation comes a day after a truck bombing at an army checkpoint in the central town of Beledweyne killed more than 18 people, including 10 security personnel, and wounded more than 40 others.

On Saturday, an airstrike in the al-Shabaab-controlled town of Elbur targeting a meeting house killed top al-Shabaab leaders, according to the Somali Defense Ministry.