Hiran: At least 18 members of Al-Shabaab group, affiliated with Al-Qaeda, were killed in a military operation carried out by the Somali army in Hiran region in central Somalia.

According to Qatar News Agency, in a statement, the army said its forces, in coordination with international partners, conducted what it described as "precise" airstrike targeting a gathering of militants in Mabah area of Hiran.

The operation resulted in the killing of 18 fighters and the destruction of two military vehicles that the group was preparing to use to flee the targeted location.

This strike comes as part of a series of operations aimed at dismantling the group's capabilities and disrupting its movements, within the framework of an ongoing national campaign to secure and clear central regions of the country.