Tuesday March 16, 2021
MOGADISHU (Xinhua) -- Somali security forces killed five al-Shabab militants on Monday in an intense clash with the fighters in the southern town of Mahaday, an official said on Monday evening.
Al-Shabab fighters attacked bases run by government forces in the town, but the army repelled and pushed them back, said Ahmed Hussein Afrah, governor of Mahaday town.
"Our forces killed five al-Shabab militants during an intense clash between the army and the attackers," Afrah said.
The forces are now controlling the town, said the official, denying militant claims of occupying the town.
Locals said the militants who attacked the town are still running some villages in the area, including Ka'anka village where they are addressing the residents.
The southern regions of Somalia have seen clashes between government forces and al-Shabab since the militants were chased out of the capital, Mogadishu, in August 2011 by African Union forces and the Somali army.