A joint security operation conducted by African Union (AU) troops and Somali military killed at least 11 Al Shabaab militants, and led to the recovery of recovered explosive devices in Bulobarde town of the Hiran region in central Somalia.
According to Somali security officer Cabdullahi Barre Cimi, both AU and Somali troops conducted the operation on Tuesday night to liberate areas around Bulobarde town and also captured new bases which Al-Shabaab had already controlled.
"The Somali military forces and Amisom (African Union Mission in Somalia) troops conducted joint operations to liberate areas under Bulobarde town from Al Shabaab, which is a threat to the peace and security of the whole nation," Barre told Xinhua news agency on Wednesday.
"We killed 11 members of the Al Shabaab and captured three new villages: Ceelbacad, Jammeco and Mubarak. Those places used to be Al Shabaab hideouts. We found weapons and explosive equipment which they used as roadside landmines," Barre said.The security officer said they did not know the whereabouts of the rest of the militants who ran away after learning of the security operation, adding that they were still combing through the bush.Barre also encouraged the residents of the liberated areas to cooperate fully with the government troops in order to eliminate the insurgents.The Al Qaeda-inspired Al Shabaab has been battling against the Somali government for years, and also carried out a number of attacks in neighbouring Kenya.