At least 115 fighters have of Somalia-based terror group al-Shabaab have been killed in heavy fighting with pro-government forces in northern Somalia, the BBC reports the regional government as saying.
The pro-government forces are reported to have captured a further 110 militants during the fighting.
There has however been no independent confirmation of the claims.
The al-Qaeda-linked militants have lately drifted north after losing ground in the southern and central regions of Somalia.
Galmudug’s President Abdikarim Hussein Galaud said the security forces were determined to “wipe out” the militants, and to prevent them from establishing bases in stable parts of the north.
The government also said the Islamist militants were defeated after four days of fighting along Galmudug’s border with Puntland.
It however did not give casualty figures for pro-government forces.
African Union (AU) troops are helping the weak Somali government fight the militants.
The African organization has some 22,000 troops battling al-Shabab in southern Somalia, where it was formed nearly a decade ago to fight for Islamic rule.
