Al-Shabaab loses more grounds in Somalia

Somali soldiers patrol in convoy [File: Mohamed Abdiwahab/AFP]

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Al-Shabaab continued to lose more ground in Somalia following the military offensive against them, with the government of Somalia expressing confidence that the group will be vanquished completely once the operations against them are fully optimized.

At least 20 militants were killed on Monday in central Somalia, authorities said, noting that the operation targeted the Mudug area which is prone to Al-Shabaab attacks. International partners participated in the onslaught, officials added.

In a statement, the Ministry of Information confirmed that the military targeted the militants in Shabellow forest which has been a major hideout for the Al-Shabaab. It is in this forest that Al-Shabaab hides vehicles used in carrying suicide bombers.

"The joint forces' aim was to destroy battle wagons used by the terrorists, military consignment, food, medicine and disable their network, which was completely destroyed," the ministry said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

For the last week, the ministry added, over 100 Al-Shabaab militants have been killed, the highest figure within such a short period. The military with the help of the US Africa Command and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] has been pursuing the militants in central regions.

The success comes days after the African Union supported Somalia's quest for a technical pause of ATMIS withdrawal from the country. The peacekeepers were set to withdraw 3,000 more soldiers in September in compliance with the Somali Transition Plan, but the plan has since been halted.

Authorities in Somalia believe the country will be ready in the next three months to take over from ATMIS in some of the Forward Operating Bases where the peacekeepers are set to leave. The Al-Shabaab has been fighting to topple the fragile UN-backed federal government of Somalia.

GAROWE ONLINE