Somali operation kills at least 3 al-Shabaab leaders: Official

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - At least 10 al-Shabaab terror group members, including three senior commanders, were killed after Somalia’s national intelligence and security agency conducted a new operation in the central province of Hiran, an official said Wednesday.

The operation against the al-Qaeda-affiliated group was conducted with support from international security partners that took place near Burweyn.

Security officer Mohamed Abdiaziz in Hirshabele state told Anadolu that the operation targeted terrorists traveling in a car belonging to a ring leader identified as Ibnu Bashir who led the group’s police in of Hiran region.

He said airstrikes were involved in “a well-planned and executed operation and killed three key al-Shabaab leaders.”

The Somali government said among those killed was the chief of al-Shabaab’s health department in the region who was identified as Muhsin. And Anas, who was the leader in charge of the group in the Jalalaqsi area of Hiran.

Hiran is a region that has seen increased military activities against the terror group and is the epicenter center of a militia uprising against the group.

President Hassan Sheikh Mahamud declared an “all-out war” against al-Shabaab last year and since, government forces, backed by residents, have liberated large swathes of territories from the group including the strategic coastal town of Haradhere that has been under the group’s control for more than a decade.

Since military operations against al-Shabaab have intensified, the terror group has increased attacks.

At least 10 people were killed and several injured when al-Shabaab terrorists stormed a residential building in the nation’s capital of Mogadishu, spraying indiscriminate bullets with automatic weapons on civilians last month. One terrorist blew himself up.

In October, two car bombs exploded at the Education Ministry, killing at least 121 people and injuring more than 300 in the deadliest bombing in Somalia in years.

Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with al-Shabaab and Daesh/ISIS being the main threats.

The UN has warned of growing insecurity in the country, issuing periodic reports last year detailing attacks by al-Shabaab and pro-Daesh/ISIS terror groups.