MOGADISHU, May 11 (Xinhua) -- The Somali National Army (SNA) killed five al-Shabaab militants and injured several others during a special operation against the extremist group in the Lower Shabelle region of southern Somalia, officials confirmed Thursday.
Nur Mohamed Gabow, the SNA commander, told Radio Mogadishu that the latest military offensive against the militants was carried out at midnight Wednesday.
"We thwarted the terrorist plot by conducting a special operation against terrorists in this region," Gabow said.
He added that the al-Shabaab fighters were regrouping at the time of the operation even as the government said during a recent briefing that it had made significant progress in efforts to vanquish the al-Qaida-linked terrorist network in its strongholds of central and southern Somalia. ■
