MOGADISHU, Somalia

The Somali military on Thursday liberated the strategic town of Runirgod in the middle Shabelle region from the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab terrorist group, the Defense Ministry said. 

In a news conference in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia’s Defense Ministry spokesman Abdullahi Ali Anod said the government forces backed by locals were engaged in fierce fighting with terrorists to liberate the Runirgod.

He said that at least 150 terrorists, including five foreign fighters, were killed in the clashes, while 15 more were captured.

The town was the last al-Shabaab stronghold in the region that is located some 240 kilometers (149 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu.

Earlier this month, the army had also liberated the strategic town of Adanyabal.

The government forces backed by local clan militias have recently liberated large swathes of territories mainly in the state of Hirshabele.

Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with al-Shabaab being one of the main threats.

Since at least 2007, al-Shabaab has waged a deadly campaign against the Somali government and international forces, claiming thousands of lives.

The UN has also warned of growing instability in the country, with its periodic reports on Somalia this year detailing attacks by al-Shabaab and pro-Daesh/ISIS groups.

There were at least 1,518 civilian casualties – 651 killed and 867 injured – in terrorist attacks in Somalia in 2018, followed by 1,459 – 591 killed and 868 injured – in 2019, according to UN estimates.