Mogadishu: The Somali army announced on Tuesday the killing of several members of the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabab movement during a military operation in the Middle Shabelle region, southeastern Somalia.

According to Qatar News Agency, the Somali National News Agency (SONNA) quoted army sources as saying that the national army, in cooperation with local forces, launched an attack late Monday in the Adam Yabal area. The operation targeted the militants as they gathered to carry out a terrorist operation, inflicting heavy losses on the group.

Somali forces have been engaged in ongoing operations against the Al Shabab movement, which has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians and security personnel over more than a decade. The Somali army has recently succeeded in recapturing several areas in central Somalia.