MOGADISHU, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Somali National Army (SNA) said on Monday that its elite forces killed 25 Shabab militants and wounded several others in intense fighting on Sunday in the southern Lower Shabelle region.
Abdullahi Nageye, SNA commander of Gorgor (The Eagles) unit, told Somalia's official news agency SONNA that the army acted on intelligence that the militants were regrouping in an area between Tawakal and Barire locations to attack military bases.
"Our forces carried out a well-planned operation at the Barire location in the Lower Shabelle region on Sunday afternoon," Nageye said, adding that no casualties were found on the SNA side.
There has been no comment from al-Shabab on the SONNA report on the latest military onslaught in Lower Shabelle.
Al-Shabab, which is fighting the internationally-backed government, has been driven out of major strongholds in Somalia in recent years, but managed to stages attacks across the country. ■
