Somalia reports hit on al-Shabab with ‘international support’

Army killed the fighters with the help of an international partner that carried out air strikes.Somalia’s army has killed 27 al-Shabab fighters in a “large-scale operation”, the Ministry of Defence reported.A statement issued by the ministry on Tuesday said that the operation in the autonomous state of Jubbaland was carried out with the support of international partners, who carried out air strikes.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Al-Shabab fighters killed in Mogadishu prison assault, Somalia confirmslist 2 of 3Has the fight against al-Shabab failed?list 3 of 3Foreign influence & Somalia’s fight for unityend of listThe statement did not name the international partners involved, but the United States has helped Somalia in its fight against al-Shabab in the past.Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud [Feisel Omar/Reuters]The ministry noted that the operation was conducted alongside Jubbaland security forces across the Lower Jubba and Middle Jubba regions.The operation targeted the districts of Jilib, Xagar and Afmadow. Somalia said it dealt a “major blow” to al-Shabab and “key members” of the armed group were killed.The Somali army also “seized weapons and military equipment, including BKM machine guns, RPGs and AK-47 rifles, as well as landmines that the terrorists had intended to use against civilians”, the statement read.The Defence Ministry said operations are ongoing to “pursue the remaining Al-Shabaab elements, in order to ensure security, stability and the safety of civilians living in Somalia”.Long fightSomalia’s federal government has been battling al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked group, since 2007. The armed group wants to topple Somalia’s central government and impose its strict interpretation of Islamic law.Last year, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told Al-Jazeera the group is “destroying Somalia and destroying the Somali people”.