Somali army kills more than 30 suspected Al Shabab jihadists

The Somali army, which has intensified its fighting against Al Shabab jihadists over the past month, killed more than 30 suspected members of the group in central Somalia early this morning, the armed forces said today.

"More than 30 Al Shabab members were killed by the Somali army in Aborey area, in the east of Bulobure district and in Hiran region (central)," the Somali Ministry of Information said in a statement on Saturday.

According to the statement, the military operation began at around 2:00 local time (23:00 GMT).

The Aborey area, which until recently remained under al Shabab control, was a major centre of operations for the jihadist group and from there they used to move to the east and other parts of the country.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared a "total war" on 23 August to "eliminate" Al Shabab after the terrorists seized a popular Mogadishu hotel for 30 hours and killed 21 people.

Last Sunday, the Somali government reported that "more than 100" Al Shabab jihadists were killed in recent counter-terrorism operations in various parts of the country.

It also announced that it had seized more than 20 locations in Galmudug (central), Hirshabelle (south) and Southwest (south) states from the terrorists.

Al Shabab, a group affiliated since 2012 with the Al Qaeda network, frequently carries out terrorist attacks in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and other parts of Somalia in order to overthrow the central government and establish a Wahhabi-style Islamic state by force.

Al Shabab also controls parts of Somalia, especially rural areas in the centre and south, and attacks neighbouring countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia.

Somalia has been in a state of war and chaos since 1991, when dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was overthrown, leaving the country without effective government and in the hands of Islamist militias and warlords.