MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s national intelligence agency says 12 Al-Shabaab militants were killed in an airstrike on a training camp.
The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said the strike targeted Ceel-dhiiqo Weyne, where over 400 fighters had gathered for militant training operations.
NISA said the operation killed senior Al-Shabab leaders and disrupted recruitment and coordination in the region.
Thirteen militants were wounded during the airstrike, and Somali forces are pursuing survivors who fled toward Ceelbuur in the Galgaduud region.
“The operation killed 12 militants, including high-ranking officials, and injured 13,” NISA said in a statement.
The targeted facility was reportedly preparing fighters for future attacks in central Somalia, especially within Hiran and Galgadud regions.
This operation is part of an offensive by Somali forces and allies aiming to eliminate Al-Shabab’s operational capacity in central Somalia.
Last week, four senior Al-Shabaab commanders were killed in a similar strike on a hideout in the Shaw area of Hiiraan.
That operation also killed nearly 10 other fighters and destroyed the facility used by Al-Shabab’s leadership for planning and training.
Despite air and ground operations, the militant group continues to carry out deadly attacks on army bases in south and central Somalia.
For the last three months, the group seized several towns following pre-dawn attacks that began with suicide explosions, followed by gun battles.
Al-Shabab still holds large swaths of rural territory, including the Middle Jubba region, where its top leaders have been based since being driven out of Mogadishu in 2011.