Somali forces kill 60 Al-Shabaab militants, nab 38 in central Somalia

Somali local forces killed 60 Al-Shabaab militants and arrested 38 others in in central Somalia, the President of Galmudug troops Abdikarim Hussein Guled said on Saturday.

Guled said the Al-Shabaab militants have suffered a big blow in the hands of Galmudug forces and vowed to sustain the onslaught until the militants are eliminated from the entire state of Galmudug.

"The enemy has lost 60 militants and 38 others were captured. We took all their weapons, and I am thanking the people of Galmudug who played a vital role of helping the state forces and refused to allow the enemy to set up a safe haven in this region," Guled said in a statement.

He said the areas in which Al-Shabaab was confronted and defeated include Dinoda, Jiray, Bali-Hawd and Galhagoog, noting that Galmudug forces have severely defeated Al-Shabaab in the recent fight in the state of Galmudug.

Al-Shabaab militants have earlier suffered a heavy defeat in Puntland region, and later on fled to Galmudug with the aim to carry out their brutal acts against the civilians.

Guled called on the people of Galmudug to continue to take part in the wider military operation against Al-Shabaab across the country, despite the victory of flushing them out from the Galmudug territory. Enditem