...... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...in a planned operation in the Middle Shabelle region.
This operation targeted 150 al-Shabaab fighters, who wanted to attack the national army and local pro-government clan militia in the Hawadlay area, which is among the newly recovered villages in Somalia.
"About 61 al-Shabaab members were killed and a number were maimed in a planned operation carried out by NISA and international partners in farming fields on the outskirts of Hawadlay area in the Middle Shabelle region," said the Ministry of Information.
Two boom-mobiles were also destroyed in the raid by NISA before the fighters bring them into Mogadishu to carry out attacks.
"The government and the Somali people are cautious of any conspiracy that may come from al-Shabaab bully boyz who were defeated in direct battles," the statement added.
There was no independent verification of the government claims. And al-Shabaab is yet to comment on the deaths of the 61 combatants.
The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) has recently targeted al-Shabaab fighters in planned operations, killing many fighters in the country’s southern regions.