Somalia: Puntland forces kill 42 Al Shabaab fighters: State TV
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- Posted On 20-03-2016, 05:36PM
GAROWE, Somalia- Citing Puntland Army sources, State Television PLTV said, 42 Al Shabaab fighters had been killed in the aftermath of a four-day counter-terror raid in Suuj valley.
The announcement has come shortly after Puntland troops launched a more aggressive campaign to hunt for fleeing militants in Dabakaro area.
“I am hearing heavy exchange of gunfire. Here the terrain is flat except for some shrub,” Army commander, Low Abdi Ad said by phone on Sunday morning.
On Saturday, Puntland Information Minister Mohamud Hassan So’adde said, cleanup operations in Suuj were concluded.
“Puntland forces fiercely moved into ditches, and subsequently ended the resistance posed by militants,” the Information Minister confirmed during an exclusive interview with GO.
The government has so far admitted that only two soldiers embraced martyrdom in the deadly standoff.
Despite relative calm in Suuj, the army is continuing search and siege operations near the Indian Ocean town of Garacad.
Puntland Defence Forces (PDFs) Commander-in-Chief, Gen. Saed Mohamed Hirsi (SaedDhere) and Security Minister, AbdiHirsi Ali (Qarjab) are visiting units on the frontline to oversee targeted assaults.
GAROWE ONLINE
