At least eighteen al-Shabaab fighters have been killed and several others were injured in Lower Shabelle region, Somali military said.
In a statement, Somali National Army (SNA) said security operations in number of villages in the region have claimed the lives of fighters.
The operations took place in Bula-urunji and Busley village near Janaale town.
Abdirahman Mohamed Dirir, the infantry commander told the state own media that the forces were acting on tips off by the public.
“The forces killed number of the fighters and several boats were destroyed during the operations,” he said.
The commander vowed that the military will continue operations against al-Shabaab fighters in the region.
Recent months, Somali military backed by African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has intensified the fight against al-Shabaab fighters.
Al-Shabaab fighters operate in remote villages in Lower and Middle Shabelle regions.
The group lost the control of Somali capital, Mogadishu in 2011 after their fighters defeated by Somali and AMISOM forces.
