By Mevlut Ozkan
ISTANBUL (AA) - The Somali army and allied community fighters killed 11 al-Shabaab militants in separate operations in the Mudug and Bakool regions and foiled an attempted suicide attack, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
The Macaawisley community fighters in Xarardheere district carried out a planned raid on the village of Dumaaye in the north-central region of Mudug, killing six al-Shabaab terrorists and recovering four AK-47 rifles along with other ammunition and equipment, the ministry said in a statement.
It said Somali National Army troops separately disrupted an attempted al-Shabaab suicide attack near Dabaagalo, about 35 kilometers (nearly 22 miles) northwest of Xarardheere, thwarting the al-Qaeda-affiliated group's plan to "destabilize security in the area."
According to the statement, government forces also mounted an operation along the Garasweyne-Moraagabey route, about 37 kilometers (about 23 miles) west of Xudur in the southwestern region of Bakool, killing five al-Shabaab militants and seizing two AK-47 rifles and other gear.
It said the dead included senior al-Shabaab members such as Ibraahim Caliyow Mohamed Macalin, Aadan Mohamed Same, and Abdullahi Aadan Dheere.
Since July, the Somali army, with the support of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and other international partners, has increased operations against the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group in Somalia's south and central provinces.
Al-Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency against the Somali government for more than 16 years, frequently targets security forces, officials, and civilians.