Somali army troops on September 16th engaged Al-Shabaab militants in a fierce gun battle in Awdheegle town, Lower Shabelle region of Somalia.
SNA commander in charge of unit 66 Ahmed Maslah confirmed that the army clashed with the Al-Qaeda aligned militants in southern Somalia killing seven and injuring several others. The bomb and IED experts within the troops also successfully removed and defused landmines which were planted along Awdheengle road. The militants have frequently targeted security forces in roadside IED and landmines planted on majorly used roads.
The government forces supported by coalition foreign forces have intensified security operations in the recent past in an effort to mount pressure on Al-Shabaab extremists in the southern regions which have remained contestation swathes between counterterrorism assets and the Islamist militants.
