Military operation kills at least 70 Al Shabab terrorists in Somalia

More than 70 members of the Al Shabab terror group were killed during an army operation with local forces in Somalia, the information ministry has said.

"Over 70 extremist militants were eliminated through the coordinated efforts of the National Army and local forces," the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

"In addition to the significant militant losses, a large cache of weapons was seized, and several combat vehicles utilised by the extremists were destroyed."

The operation took place on Tuesday at several sites in Hirshabelle state, in south-central Somalia, it added.

Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabab has been fighting the federal government for more than 15 years, to try to establish new laws in the impoverished country.

"The armed men of Al Shabab were beaten," one resident contacted by telephone said, adding that "dozens" of their bodies were visible in the combat zones.

Several sources said the armed operation came in response to Al Shabab attacks in the area in the last few days.

Al Shabab has carried out numerous bomb and other attacks in the capital Mogadishu and several other regions of the volatile Horn of Africa country.

Although they were driven out of the capital by African Union forces in 2011, the group is still present in rural areas.

Somalia's president has promised "total" war against Al Shabab.

The army has joined forces with local militias in a military campaign backed by an AU force and US air strikes.

This story originally appeared in TRT World