Somali government repels attack by Al-Shabaab, kills 20

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English + Agencies
12 Oct 2022 16:35
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The Somali government announced that it was able to thwart an attack carried out by the Al-Shabaab movement on one of its bases in Hiran killing 20 militants while 3 soldiers died.

3 Somali soldiers killed in Al-Shabab attack on military points

The Somali government announced on Wednesday that 3 of its soldiers and 20 militants belonging to Al-Shabaab movement were killed, after repelling an attack launched by the movement on one of its military bases in the Hiran region in the center of the country.

The Somali Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism said in a statement, "Somali national forces killed 20 Al-Shabaab militants in the Yasooman area in Hiran province after repelling their attack this morning," adding that, During the operations of our army, 3 soldiers were killed and the outlaws that attacked the area fled."

The Somali government has been intensifying its military operations against al-Shabaab positions recently.

A few days ago, 200 militants from the Al-Shabaab movement were killed on Sunday evening, during an army military operation in the Hiran region in the center of the country, according to the official Somali National News agency.

This comes at a time when some regions of Somalia are witnessing security operations conducted by government forces in cooperation with armed tribes against Al-Shabaab fighters in the south and center of the country.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud vowed in August to wage an "all-out war" to eradicate the armed movement.

For years, the Somali government has been fighting a war against the Al-Shabaab, which was founded in early 2004, an armed organization ideologically affiliated with Al-Qaeda, and has adopted numerous terrorist operations that have claimed hundreds of lives.

Al-Shabaab militants were driven out of the capital in 2011 by an African Union force, but the group still controls swathes of the countryside. It continues to launch deadly strikes on civilian and military targets, with popular hotels and restaurants frequently hit.

Last August, new Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre announced the appointment of the group's former deputy leader and spokesperson, Muktar Robow, as religion minister.