AU, Somali forces kill 35 Al-Shabaab militants

At least 35 Al-Shabaab militants were killed and several others injured in heavy fighting between Somali government forces, backed by African Union troops, and the militant group in Qoryoley town, officials said on Monday.

Qoryoley Deputy Governor Abdi Ahmed Ali said one Somali soldier was killed and two others were injured during the overnight clashes.

“Our forces killed 35 Al-Shabaab militants and injured several others after defeating the enemy who attacked the town,” Ali told reporters, according to Xinhua news agency.

He said government forces had recovered the bodies of the militants and were preparing to bury them.

According to Ali, security forces had received advance intelligence indicating that Al-Shabaab was planning an attack on Qoryoley. The warning allowed troops to prepare for the assault and, he claimed, helped inflict heavier casualties on the militants.

“We had prior intelligence that the terrorists are going to attack us and this caused more casualties on the enemy side,” he said.

Al-Shabaab had not immediately responded to the Somali official's account of the fighting, and the reported casualty figures could not be independently verified.

The militant group, however, claimed responsibility for mortar attacks on positions belonging to the Somali National Army and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) near Barawo, another town in the same region.

The clashes come as Somali security forces, with support from African Union troops, continue operations against Al-Shabaab, which has maintained an armed insurgency in the country for years. The group frequently targets government forces, African Union peacekeepers and civilian areas in an attempt to undermine Somalia's central government.

Qoryoley and surrounding areas remain strategically important because of their location in southern Somalia, where Al-Shabaab has retained the ability to launch attacks despite repeated military operations against its strongholds.

The latest fighting underscores the continuing security challenge facing Somalia as government and allied forces seek to regain control of areas affected by the militant group's insurgency.