MOGADISHU, July 14 (Xinhua) -- The Somali National Army, supported by international partners, killed 42 al-Shabaab militants and injured 12 others in airstrikes in central Somalia, the government said on Tuesday.
In a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, the Ministry of Defense confirmed that during the overnight operation, forces also destroyed a military vehicle and several of the group's defensive positions.
The ministry added that al-Shabaab has suffered heavy losses in recent months at the hands of the Somali National Army and its international partners, with hundreds of militants and several key leaders neutralized.
Al-Shabaab, however, claimed that its fighters killed two Somali soldiers and wounded two others during intense, face-to-face ground clashes in the area. ■