Somalia army dislodges Al-Shabaab from key area near Mogadishu

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A contingent of the Somali National Army [SNA] on Tuesday battled with Al-Shabaab militants in Basra, in an operation which lasted for several hours, as the country struggles to restore order in different parts of the Horn of Africa nation, which is yet to fully defeat the Al-Qaeda linked group.

The Al-Shabaab militants still control large swathes of rural central and southern Somalia, but the ongoing operations have drastically weakened the group, which is also struggling to contain internal differences. Al-Shabaab is keen to topple the fragile UN-backed Somalia administration.

For the past seven months, SNA troops working closely with the African Union Mission Forces and the US Africa Command, who reigned on Al-Shabaab strongholds, leading to the liberation of several towns besides capturing and killing of a number militants throughout the country.

Military reports indicate that the SNA troops engaged the Al-Shabaab militants who had attacked several bases in the town. In response, the military opened fire at the militants, leading to several hours standoff as gunfire rented the air in the town in the Middle Shabelle region, which is located 30 kilometers north of Mogadishu.

Both sides are yet to declare the number of casualties by the time this report was prepared. However, multiple sources said the militants, who had been overpowered by the military, scampered for their safety in nearby thickets and a manhunt has since been launched by the SNA troops.

The town was liberated from the militants a couple of years ago but they have often come back in a bid to regain control. However, the hawk-eyed military officers have since installed a civilian administration, further cutting off Al-Shabaab revenues from the town.

Such operations have often been conducted by the Danab soldiers, who are trained by the US Africa Command which has bases in Somalia. The elite soldiers often work closely with the foreign military during such operations and are preparing to take security responsibilities once AMISOM troops leave Somalia.

Elsewhere, several people are believed to have died on Tuesday after their bus ran over an Improvised Explosive Device, which was planted along Mogadishu-Jowhar road. The incident took place in the vicinity of Basra town in the porous Southwest state of Somalia, where SNA troops have been carrying out operations.

For the past four days, the SNA troops have pitched a tent in Basra, which is located near Bal'ad, in pursuit of the militants. Reports indicated that the military has managed to capture several Al-Shabaab militants during the operation besides flushing them out of certain strategic villages.

Al-Shabaab militants are estimated to be around 7,000 and are mainly domiciled in Somalia, but have often crossed the border to Kenya where they have carried out sophisticated attacks.

The US military recently termed the group "dangerous" and vowed to continue working with FGS in the ongoing campaigns to completely degrade the militants.

GAROWE ONLINE