5 Al-Shabaab militants arrested in southwest Somalia

MOGADISHU, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Somali National Army (SNA) captured five Al-Shabaab militants in an operation south of Baidoa town, the administrative capital of Southwest State, officials said Wednesday.

Spokesman for the Southwest State Presidency Nuradin Yusuf Abukar said SNA and Southwest State forces jointly carried out the operations at Manaas location.

"SNA and Southwest State forces conducted very successful operation against the terrorist militant group at Manaas location this morning, they captured five Al-Shabaab fighters and recovered four motorbikes during the operation," Abukar said.

He confirmed that some soldiers sustained slight injuries during the operation, adding that the joint forces liberated several areas in and around the area so far.

The latest operation came hours after Al-Shabaab claimed to have captured Daynuney and Gof-gudud locations east and north of Baidoa town on Tuesday.

But Security Minister for the Southwest State Hassan Hussein Mohamed told Xinhua that their forces killed several Al-Shabaab militants Tuesday, and the militants' attempt to capture two areas was thwarted. Enditem