Somali troops nab Al-Shabaab militants during a covert operation

MOGADISHU, Somalia - The war against Al-Shabaab continues to gather momentum in Somalia following the ongoing military operations in different parts of the country, and which is set to conclude in coming months before the exit of foreign troops from the country.

Major Ahmed Abdullahi alias Beer-yare, the commander of the 16th Danab Commando unit said his troops spotted and defused an explosives-laden vehicle during an operation in Lower Shebelle on Saturday, in the latest crackdown against the militants, who continued to wreak havoc in Somalia.

During the operation, he noted, the Danab commandos nabbed three militants prepping the VBIED during a raid in Toratorow, an Al-Shabaab-held town in Lower Shabelle, south of Somalia, where the military has comped in the past few months.

The operation by the Somali National Army has focused on Lower and Middle Shebelle regions where Al-Shabaab's influence is significantly dwindling, following sophisticated operations by security forces in Somalia, who have liberated several towns to date.

Al-Shabaab has often used Improvised Explosive Devices against security forces and other senior government officials along with innocent civilians. The group still controls large swathes of rural central and southern Somalia, where they recruit and train fighters according to intelligence reports.

In the last few days, the US Africa Command also launched an airstrike in Lower Shabelle where at least five top Al-Shabaab commanders were killed. However, the exact names of the militants are yet to be determined given the thorough verification process of the AFRICOM.

Al-Shabaab has continued to wreak havoc in Somalia but the cooperation between security forces, the locals and foreigners, has helped to significantly reduce the threat of the team. Security forces seized several militants besides destroying their hideouts in the last several months.

GAROWE ONLINE