20 al Shabaab militants killed in southern Somali fighting: Official

Garbaharey, Somalia (AHN) - Somali government forces allied with troops of the moderate Sufi group Ahlu Sunna Waljama (ASWJ) launched a surprise attack on an al Shabaab group in a southern Somalia village, killing at least 20 militants, an official said Wednesday.
Sheikh Mohammed Hussein, better known as al Qadi, the spokesman of Ahlu Sunna fighters in southern Somalia, said the ambush attack targeted an al Shabaab military base in the village of Tulo Barwaqo, about 20 kilometers from the town of Garbaharey, the provincial capital of Gedo region, which al Shabaab tightly controls.
"We have seized a lot of weapons, including assault rifles, pistols, explosive devices and as well as two military vehicles after running away from their military position in the area," al Qadi told the media Wednesday morning.
"Our forces also counted at least 20 dead bodies from the militant group," he added.
The spokesman noted that one of the ASWJ soldiers suffered a light injury in the shoulder.
He vowed that combating the al Qaeda-linked group will continue until all Somali regions fall into the hands of Somali government and Ahlu Sunna Waljama and Somali people will be free from what he described as the colony of fundamentalists whose aim is to destroy the sovereignty and existence of the Horn of African nation.
The surprise attack comes hours after Somali forces in Luq town came under hit and run attacks. Four soldiers of the Somali army were slain, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
A spokesperson for al Shabaab claimed their fighters inflicted heavy losses in the attach.
Since April, al Shabaab has lost key military positions in the Somali capital as well as strategic towns in Gedo and Lower Jubba regions in southern Somalia.

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