Somali forces shoot dead Al-Shabaab fighter in capital

Somali security forces on Tuesday night shot dead an Al-Shabaab militant in Heliwa district of capital Mogadishu, officials said on Wednesday.

Local government spokesman Abdifitah Omar Halane told reporters that the security forces from the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) ordered the militants to lie down and surrender, but they failed to obey the directive, prompting security officers to shoot one of the insurgents dead.

"The security forces shot down an Al-Shabaab militant. The militant had killed a civilian and wounded young girl as he tried to resist arrest by the security forces when they tried to disarm him," Halane said.

He said the Al-Shabaab militant was armed with a pistol and bombs, which were recovered by the security forces.

The local government spokesman added that security forces are committed to take actions against culprits and terrorists who commit such crimes on the spot.

The latest incident comes amid increased joint security operations by African Union peacekeeping mission (AMISOM) and Somali security forces to flush out the insurgents out of the Horn of Africa nation. Enditem