The Somali Defense Ministry announced that the army, with support from local and international partners, conducted a series of operations targeting the al-Shabaab militant group, resulting in the deaths of over 95 insurgents on Monday.
The Somali National Army (SNA) carried out these operations across Middle Shabelle, Galgadud, and Mudug in the north-central region of Somalia.
First Lieutenant Sheikh Abukar Mohamed, a spokesperson for the ministry, confirmed during a media briefing in Mogadishu on Monday evening that 45 militants were eliminated and three villages liberated in Middle Shabelle during the offensive.
In a separate military action in Galgadud, part of the central Galmudug state, an additional 50 al-Shabaab members were killed, and five more villages were reclaimed from the militant group.
On October 10, the Information Ministry previously reported the deaths of 59 al-Shabaab militants and four Somali soldiers during operations in Somalia’s southern and central regions.
This month, over 100 al-Shabaab fighters have been killed, bringing the total number of militants neutralized in recent operations to 254.
Somalia has been combating the al-Qaeda-linked group since the Somali president declared an intensified war against the insurgents in 2022. However, both the Somali government and the militants have been known to exaggerate casualty figures.
Somalia has endured years of instability, with primary threats coming from both al-Shabaab and Daesh/ISIS affiliates.
Since 2007, al-Shabaab has been engaged in a prolonged conflict with the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), a UN-mandated peacekeeping force deployed to support Somali security forces.