Somali army eliminates 10 terrorists in central states

By Mevlut Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Somali army has eliminated over 10 terrorists in coordinated operations across the central states of Hirshabelle and Galmudug, according to local media.

The military operations against Khawaarij hideouts in central Somalia severely degraded the group’s capabilities, though full details of the engagements were still emerging, the state-run SONNA news agency reported Thursday.

Khawaarij is a term the Somali government uses to describe the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab terrorist group.

The elimination of the militants is expected to disrupt their logistics, reduce their ability to attack civilians and government sites, and weaken their operational strength.

Al-Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency against the Somali government for more than 16 years, regularly targets security forces, government officials and civilians.