A cache of firearms and ammunition thought to belong to Al-Shabaab militants has been recovered by Somali and African Union forces in the port city of Kismayo after carrying out a major joint operation to the west of the town.
The weapons were found buried in a Muslim cemetery west of the town, according to area security committee official, Yasin Noor Gas.
He said the haul including fifty AK47 riffles, several deadly general-purpose machine guns or PKM, pistols and rounds of ammunition was found in packed sacks buried in two separate sites within Jabarti Muslim cemetery.
Gas added that they had been tipped off by suspected militants who are being held in the area central prison. Telecommunication lines in the city were cut off during the operation.
The seizure comes a week after 400 people were arrested and weapons recovered in a crackdown in the area.During the operation, soldiers made door to door search and the are telecommunication lines cut off as from early hours of the day. Business centres were also shutdown following the crackdown, according to locals.African Union troops, the Somali army and a pro-government militia gained control of the strategic port last September from al-Qaeda-aligned militants.
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