Mogadishu: The Somali Army announced today that it has taken control of the Geelgub District in the Hirshabelle region, southeast of Somalia, after successfully expelling Al Shabaab militants, affiliated with Al Qaeda.

According to Qatar News Agency, the Somali National News Agency (SONNA) quoted the Deputy Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Abdirahman Yusuf Al Adala, as saying that the army took control of the area after conducting a planned military operation. The army launched an attack from several directions against Al Shabaab elements hiding in the region, incurring heavy losses.

For over a decade, Somali forces have been fighting Al Shabaab, which has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians and security personnel. Meanwhile, government forces have recently recaptured several strategic areas in central Somalia as part of a broader push to reclaim territory and eliminate the terrorist threat.