Six Al-Shabaab militants killed in central Somalia

Somalian military forces

Members of the Somalian military forces walk at the site of a suicide car bomb attack, which killed a top Somalia general along with four of his security guards, near Gashandhiga compound, south of Mogadsihu, on September 18, 2016.

Photo credit: Mohamed Abdiwahab | AFP

Mogadishu,

Somali National Army (SNA) said Saturday its forces killed six Al-Shabaab terrorists during a sting operation at a village in the central region of Hiran.

Hussein Hassan Jodah, commander of SNA's 5th Unit division 27, said the military operation was carried out in Al-Shabaab areas in Bulo-burte district.

Jodah told Radio Mogadishu that the army also destroyed Al-Shabaab bases or hideouts which the militants have been using to launch attacks on the locals.

He said the latest operation came after the militant group launched a cowardly attack on Bula Burte district, adding that the army inflicted heavy casualties on the terrorist group.

The government forces have recently intensified operations against Al-Shabaab extremists in central and southern regions where the militants are still hiding in rural areas, conducting ambushes and planting land mines.