Mogadishu, Oct 5 The Somali National Army (SNA) has killed 1,650 al-Shabab militants and injured more than 550 others during military offensives in Galmudug and Hirshabelle states in central Somalia in the last two months, the government said.
The Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism said on Wednesday that the troops, in partnership with local forces and international partners, destroyed the militants' strongholds, forcing many to surrender to the authorities, Xinhua news agency reported.
"The Somali Army, with the support of international partners, made military achievements against terrorists in areas under Galmudug and Hirshabelle states. Senior al-Shabab commanders were among those killed, injured, or surrendered during the operations in the past two months," the Ministry said in a statement issued in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.
The government troops have intensified offensive against the terrorists since last year, when President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an "all-out war" on the terrorist group.
--IANS
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor