The Somali National Army (SNA), supported by local militias, killed 70 members of the jihadist group Al-Shabab in two counterterrorism operations in the Lower Shabelle region, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense published on Tuesday.

The first operation took place on Monday in the areas of Sabiib and Canole, where Somali forces repelled an Al-Shabab attack, killing at least 30 militants, said Defense Ministry spokesperson Sheikh Abukar Mohamed. In a separate operation in the same region, an airstrike targeted Al-Shabab fighters, resulting in the deaths of 40 more militants.

“Our forces were well-prepared and responded decisively. We have the bodies of the militants killed in both operations,” the spokesperson stated, emphasizing the importance of these actions in dismantling terrorist strongholds and preventing further destabilization in Somalia.

Somalia has intensified its military campaign against Al-Shabab since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared a “total war” on the group in August 2022. The SNA, with support from African Union missions, has launched numerous offensives, often backed by U.S. and Turkish airstrikes.

Al-Shabab, affiliated with Al-Qaeda since 2012, frequently carries out attacks to overthrow the internationally-backed Somali government and establish an ultraconservative Islamic state. The group controls rural areas in central and southern Somalia and has extended its attacks to neighboring countries like Kenya and Ethiopia.

Somalia has been in a state of conflict and chaos since the overthrow of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, leaving the country without an effective government and under the control of Islamist militias and warlords. The ongoing fight against Al-Shabab remains a critical challenge for Somalia’s stability and security.

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