At least 40 al-Shabaab fighters have been killed and over a dozen wounded in the government force led operations against the group in southern Somalia.
According to the state-owned media, the operations were jointly conducted by the government forces and international partners. The operations took place in Welmaro, a town 40 kilometers away from Afmadow in the Lower Jubba region.
The state media reported that the allied forces killed several high-ranking leaders. The forces also seized large cache of weapons.
Somali government has recently announced that it will launch the second phase of operations against al-Shabaab fighters in central Somalia.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said his government won the operations against al-Shabaab fighters in south-central Somalia.
Somali government has been fighting al-Shabaab fighters for more than 15 years. The group lost many territories including the capital to Somali military backed by African Union forces.
