MOGADISHU, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Somalia security forces killed 70 al-Shabaab militants in an airstrike carried out in the Mudug region of north-central Somalia, the Ministry of Defense said on Thursday.
It said the precision strike, conducted in the Tawarmoge area, wounded about 95 other militants and destroyed eight military vehicles.
"The strike targeted a position where the group was preparing plots and attacks intended to harm the Somali people and undermine the country's overall security and stability," the ministry said in a statement, vowing to intensify military operations to degrade al-Shabaab's networks across the country.
Somali government forces, backed by international partners, have recently intensified operations against the militants nationwide, which have since seen the recapture of several al-Shabaab positions and the destruction of their hideouts, including storage facilities. ■