Somali police arrest 156 Al-Shabaab suspects in Puntland

Security forces in Somalia's northern state of Puntland have arrested 156 Al-Shabaab suspects in a swoop in the coastal town of Bosasso.

Police commander of Bari region, Abdihakim Yusuf Hussein, on Wednesday said the suspects were captured in a security operation to restore peace in the region.

"We arrested 156 Al-Shabaab suspects from hotels, villages, checkpoints and other suburbs. They are being questioned over a spate of insecurity incidents and their connection with Al-Shabaab," Hussein said.

Puntland security forces have killed more than 70 Al-Shabaab militants and arrested dozens of others since they launched the operations last week.

In southern Somalia, where the Islamist group is concentrated, the militants are facing a major offensive by the Somali army and the African Union peacekeeping troops in Somalia, known as AMISOM.

AMISOM troops have killed over 50 militants in the past week.

Despite being driven to large rural areas of southern Somalia, the militant group still stages attacks in the country every now and then, some in the capital Mogadishu. Endit