A Somali commando unit killed members of suspected Islamist fighters in an overnight raid on al-Shabaab base in Yaaq-doomaar village in the lower Shabelle region, the latest in a series of such raids in the last weeks and months.
Local government officials said that the aim of the raid was to destroy the base and neutralize the militants’ capacity to organize and carry out regional attacks.
The United States has trained a Somali government commando unit known as “Danab” or “Lightning” of about 500 soldiers who conduct special operations.
The Somali government has battled al-Shabaab since the al-Qaida-linked militant group formed in 2006. The U.S. designated al-Shabaab as a terrorist group in 2008 and has given the Somali government financial and military support to combat the group.
