By Mohamed Dhaysane
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) on Sunday said that over 50 al-Shabaab terrorists were killed in a joint military operation with the Somali army in the town of Bariire in the Lower Shabelle region.
During the operation, many al-Shabaab terrorists sustained serious injuries, according to a statement by the AU mission in Somalia on Sunday.
"AUSSOM and SNAF troops are determined to recapture Bariire town and other territories still under al-Shabaab control to ensure lasting peace and security for the people of Somalia," said El Hadji Ibrahima Diene, the special representative of the African Union Commission Chairperson (SRCC) for Somalia, in the statement.
The mission also rejected media reports suggesting heavy casualties among its soldiers during the operation.
Bariire is a strategic agricultural town located 73 kilometers (45 miles) southwest of the capital Mogadishu.
Al-Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency against the Somali government for more than 16 years, regularly targets security forces, government officials and civilians.