Somalia: 30 Al-Shabaab militants killed, including 3 leaders

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30 Al-Shabaab militants were killed in a Somali army operation in Shabelle Central Governorate, in the southeast of the country, as the government forces escalated their operations against the terrorist movement.

The Somali National News Agency reported Saturday that "Somali Security forces took over Hawadley, a strategic village in middle Shabelle region from Al-Shabab terrorists, killing 30 terrorists," including three of the movement's leaders.

The Somali government has recently intensified its military operations against Al-Shabaab sites.

A few days ago, the Somali government announced that three of its soldiers and 20 Al-Shabaab militants 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.

Last week, the Somali news agency reported that 200 Al-Shabaab terrorists were killed on Sunday evening, during an army military operation in the Hiran region in the 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, Somalia has been fighting a war against Al-Shabaab, an armed organization ideologically affiliated with Al-Qaeda and founded in early 2004, and has adopted numerous terrorist operations that have claimed hundreds of lives.

Al-Shabaab militants were driven out of the capital, Mogadishu, 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.