African Union peacekeepers kill over 20 al-Shabaab terrorists

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - Peacekeeping forces of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) conducted an operation late Wednesday against the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab terrorist group, killing over 20 terrorists, local media reported.

The operation took place in Somalia's Lower Shabelle region.

AMISOM carried out the operation hours after al-Shabaab attacked the capital Mogadishu on multiple fronts and briefly took over the Kahda district police station.

The attacks, which began with suicide car bombings, killed at least five people, including two civilians, and wounded 16 others.

"AMISOM executed this operation without the coordination of federal government security forces," the Garowe Online news website reported.

As the Somali government focuses on completing parliamentary elections by a Feb. 25 deadline, al-Shabaab have doubled their terrorist attacks.

Last night's attack on Mogadishu was the first such frontal assault by the group since 2011, when Somali government forces backed by AMISOM fully took control over Mogadishu.