Somali forces kill 82 al-Shabaab terrorists in airstrikes

GAROWE, Somalia

The Somali Air Force in coordination with the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) killed 82 al-Shabaab terrorists in airstrikes in the country’s Lower Shabelle region, the agency announced Friday.

NISA said six airstrikes were carried out in the Sabiid and Canoole areas of Lower Shabelle, which also seriously wounded 19 terrorists.

“These operations to neutralize the terrorists came after the National Intelligence and Security Agency received information about a group of Khawarij who tried to disrupt security in the Sabiid and Canoole areas,” NISA said in the statement.

Khawarij is a term the Somali government uses to describe al-Shabaab.

The intelligence agency also informed civilians to “stay away from the Khawarij hideouts, which are the targets of the National Army.”

The operation comes after al-Shabaab launched predawn attacks on Somali troops based in the village of Sabiid, located on the outskirts of the strategic agricultural town of Afgoye.

Afgoye is located 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) southwest of the capital Mogadishu.

Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with the main threats emanating from the al-Shabaab and ISIS terrorist groups.

Since 2007, al-Shabaab has been fighting the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) -- now the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) -- a
multidimensional mission authorized by the African Union and mandated by the UN Security Council.

The terrorist group has stepped up attacks since Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an "all-out war" on it after his reelection in 2022.