We have liberated Areas in Lower Shabelle Region from al-Shabab – SNA

The Somalia National Army Forces claims to have liberated new areas in Lower Shabelle from al-Shabab fighters.  The Somalia Forces also said they will continue the military campaign against the group.

The recent achievement came after several hours of fighting before the militants vanished to the thickets leading to the liberation of Basra village which is 14 kilometres west of Bal’ad.

The military said they had managed to apprehend eight al-Shabab militants during the operation. The Somalia military and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) have in the past months intensified operations against Al-Shabab militants who have been fighting in Somalia for over a decade.

Al-Shabab group which controls large swathes of rural southern and southern Somalia linked to Al-Qaeda is fighting to topple the central government and establish Sharia law understood in their own interpretation.

The group was driven away from Mogadishu in 2011 but they still conduct attacks and suicide bombings in the capital and elsewhere targeting government officials, AMISOM, and civilians.