Somali security forces on Monday killed at least seven al-Shabaab fighters and wounded dozens others following heavy fighting in the Bay region located in the southern part of the country.
Burhakaba District Commissioner of Mohamed Ibrahim confirmed that four government soldiers, including a senior commander, were also killed in the fighting.
“We have killed seven al-Shabaab militants, injured several others and recovered four guns after fighting that lasted several hours in Lug-habar location, along the road which joins Burhakaba and Baidoa town in this region,” Ibrahim said.
He said the Somali National Army (SNA) conducted the operation against the al-Qaeda affiliated militant group in the area after getting information that the insurgents had mounted a checkpoint in the area.
Somalia has been dogged by a jihadist insurgency for a decade now, which has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions others.
The war has also created a humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa country, with millions reported to be in dire need of emergency aid.
The Somalia Food Security Cluster on Monday said emergency humanitarian assistance reached approximately 2.7 million people a month between July and December 2017.
The United Nations projects that around 5.4 million people across Somalia face acute food insecurity.
