At least 12 ‘al-Shabaab’ militants were on Tuesday killed by government forces in heavy clashes in a village near Garbaherey town in Gedo region, southern Somalia, officials and witnesses said.
Abdullahi Osman, Somali government forces commander in Gedo region, told journalists that they launched a heavy attack on the Tula Barwako village.
“We killed 12 militants in the battle and we also seized weapons from them.
“One of our soldiers was injured and now we are fully in control of the village,” he said.
He said the militants fled the village after fierce battle with the government troops.
Residents said that the fighting was intense and lasted for some hours.
“Both sides exchanged huge gunfire which caused many fears among the residents.
“The situation is now calm,” Liban Doholow, a local villager told Xinhua.
