Mogadishu: Nine fighters from Al Shabab, the Al Qaeda-linked militant group, were killed in a military operation in the Hiiraan region of central Somalia. The operation targeted a gathering of Al Shabab militants in the Tardo area as they were planning armed attacks.
According to Qatar News Agency, Somali government forces have been battling armed groups for more than a decade. The militants have carried out numerous attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians and members of the security forces, and they have repeatedly targeted government facilities and hotels in the capital, Mogadishu.