Somalia: Somali Commandos Target Al-Shabaab Sites in Lower Shabelle

Mogadishu — Somali special forces carried out a series of planned operations in the Lower Shabelle region, targeting locations allegedly used by the Al-Shabaab to extort money from local residents, military officials said Sunday. The operations were conducted by the elite Danab commandos of the Somali National Army in several areas, including Warmaxan, Tasxiille, Shareey, 10-Buundo, Tabeellaha and the Donka area. According to officers who led the operation, troops from the 161st Unit of the 16th Danab Brigade pursued Al-Shabaab fighters and dismantled positions and hideouts used by the group in the region. The military said the targeted sites had been used by Al-Shabaab to collect illegal levies from civilians living in the affected areas. No immediate information was available on casualties or arrests resulting from the operation, and AFP was unable to independently verify the military's claims. Somalia's government has intensified military operations against Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked insurgent group that has waged a violent campaign against the federal government for more than a decade. Military officials said operations against the militants would continue as part of ongoing efforts to weaken the group's presence in southern and central Somalia.