Al-Shabab militants kill Somalia’s army chief, 10 troops

The clash broke out on Sunday after al-Shabab fighters carried out ambush attacks at a Somali military base in the outskirts of Afgoye town situated in the southeastern Shabeellaha Hoose region of the country.

According to army officials, Colonel Mohamed Abdullahi Goordan has lost his life during the attacks.

This comes as African Union (AU) troops and Somali government forces arrested at least 62 al-Shabab militants during an operation in the northwest of Mogadishu on October 25.

    The operation took place in the Elasha Biyaha town, situated on the outskirts of the Somali capital, on Thursday morning. Those captured included 22 commanders of the militant group, who came under arrest inside a residence.


Earlier on October 12, more than 25 al-Shabab fighters were also killed and 30 others wounded in a firefight between government forces and the militants in southern Somalia.

Somalia has not had a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.

The Western-backed transitional government in Mogadishu has been battling al-Shabab fighters for the past five years and is propped up by thousands of African Union forces from Uganda, Burundi, and Djibouti.