Somali army kills 18 al-Shabab militants in central region

The Somali National Army killed 18 al-Shabab militants in operations in the country's central state of Galmudug, reported Xinhua, quoting local media on Sunday.

The forces targeted al-Shabab militants' hideouts, destroyed their network and killed militant commanders during the offensive that lasted several hours, the Somali news agency said, quoting Abdirahman Yusuf Al-adala, deputy minister of the Ministry of information, Culture and Tourism.

"Our forces destroyed terrorist networks in Budbud and Galcad towns during a special operation in the region on Saturday afternoon. The forces managed to eliminate military commanders," Adala said.

The government forces have sustained their attacks against the al-Shabab group since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an all-out war against the militants in 2022. The president has pledged to intensify military operations against the militants to protect the Somali people from extortion, intimidation and extremism.