Mogadishu: Somali authorities announced Saturday the elimination of over 80 Al-Shabaab militants affiliated with Al-Qaeda, including high-ranking commanders, during the execution of six security and military operations carried out last week in the southeastern region of the country.

According to Qatar News Agency, the Somali National News Agency (SONNA) reported that the operations were conducted in coordination between the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) forces and the national army forces. These operations targeted Al-Shabaab hideouts in the Middle Shabelle and Lower Shabelle, resulting in the destruction of several centers.

Earlier, the Somali military announced the killing of an additional 20 Al-Shabaab militants during a precision operation conducted in the same area.

For over a decade, Somali forces have remained engaged in sustained combat operations against Al-Shabaab, a militant group responsible for numerous attacks that have claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians and security personnel. Government troops have successfully regained control of several strategic areas in the central region as part of a broad-based security campaign aimed at dismantling the group's operational influence.