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11 Al-Shabaab militants killed in southern Somalia

Xinhua, May 26, 2016 Adjust font size:

At least 11 Al-Shabaab militants were killed and two government soldiers wounded on Wednesday after fighting between the group and Somalia National Army (SNA) in El-Wak town in Gedo region southern Somalia.

Commander of SNA's first division in the region, Col. Abdirashid Barre Gurhan said the fighting broke out after the militants attacked a military base in the town.

Gurhan said the attack prompted the security forces to engage the terrorists, killing 11 of them during the firefight.

"Al-Shabaab militants attacked our base in the town, but they were destroyed in the battle. We killed 11 of the militants on the spot, two of our soldiers were injured during the fighting and we pushed them back," Gurhan told reporters.

There was no immediate comment from Al-Shabaab militants on the latest military victory by the Somali government soldiers.

The Somali National Army backed by African Union peacekeeping forces increased operations against Al-Shabaab militants in the south and central Somalia in the past three months. Endit