A total of 20 Al-Shabaab militants were killed in a security operation in the Lower Shabelle region, Somali Information Minister Daud Aweys announced on Wednesday.
The Somalia News Agency quoted the minister as saying that the security operation took place in the Balad Al-Amin area, without disclosing further details.
Earlier this month, Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda, stated that at least 54 peacekeeping soldiers from the African Union (AU) force were killed in an insurgent attack on their base in Somalia in May.
Museveni tweeted: “We found the bodies of 54 soldiers, one of whom was a commander.” The attack that occurred on May 26 targeted the Bulo Marer base, situated approximately 120 kilometers southwest of the capital, Mogadishu.
The militants drove a vehicle packed with explosives into the base, instigating a gunfire exchange, according to Somali military officials and local residents. The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab movement, which has been fighting the internationally-backed federal government since 2007 to impose Islamic law in Somalia, claimed responsibility for the attack.
This represents one of the most significant losses for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) since launching operations against al-Shabab last August.
