Tuesday January 24, 2023
FILE PHOTO
Mogadishu (HOL) - General Mohamed Tahlil Bihi, infantry commander of the SNA, said that dozens of Al Shabaab fighters were killed by government forces near Harardhere district in an operation on Monday.
The General said that the operation was focused on the western Harardhere district and included air support from international partners. According to Bihi. 47 Al Shabaab fighters were killed during the two-day sweep.
Bihi said the joint-operation included Somali special forces, Galmudug State forces, and local militia.
Bihi said local cooperation with the SNA was integral in tracking down the militants.
"Within two days of operations, we encountered a lot of Al-Shabaab resistance. We counted 47 dead bodies. The people in these areas regularly give us information about the Khawarij Al-Shabaab. They want to be freed from the enemy as soon as possible, and the armed forces have taken control of several areas that have been cleared of those pests," said General Bihi.
"The locals are angry, and they have brought out their weapons. Wherever Al-Shabaab is hiding, including in Mudug and Galgaduud, we receive calls from people asking us to reach their village. This is news that excites us and wakes us up. We will heed their call." General Mohamed Tahleel Bihi said.
The operation cleared five villages.
Somali security forces recently
captured the port town of Haradhere from Al Shabaab. The port was a key revenue source for the militants, and its capture was quickly hailed as
a major victory against the Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab.