Somali National Army, backed by local militia groups, said they killed at least 100 al-Shabab militants during heavy fighting in Hiiraan’s El-Hareri village on Thursday.
Abdullahi Ali Anod, a spokesman for the defence ministry told reporters in Mogadishu that 100 al-Shabab fighters were killed during the “intense operation.”
Major Ahmed Abdullahi Beeryare, commander of the 16th battalion of the US-trained Danab commandos, told local media in Hiiiraan that joint forces that the number of al-Shabab fatalities could be as high as 200.
Independent news organizations have not been able to verify the government casualty claims.
Danab forces captured the village and destroyed militant bases in and around the village.
Beeryare displayed dozens of weapons captured by the militants.
He added that drones were striking the militants during the fight. The US, the federal government, and other international partners did not confirm the airstrikes.
The battle comes after forces received information that members of al-Shabab were gathering in El-Hareri village, which led them to launch a preemptive attack.
In the last four months, the al-Qaeda-linked armed group al-Shabab lost several villages to Somali government forces backed by local clan militia groups in the Hiiraan region, killing nearly a thousand of al-Shabab militants.
