...... an Islamic infestation centering on Somalia attempting to metastasize into Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and similar places, all of which have enough problems without them...to the local media on Wednesday.
Jama said that the SNA has killed more than 200 al-Shabaab fighters in the operations currently underway in four out of the country’s five regional states.
"The army has achieved major victories in the fight. An operation in Mudug region killed around 120 members of al-Shabaab, and many others were maimed," said the Minister.
He indicated that in another operation that took place in the same region with the help of the Galmudug
...a semiautonomous region in central Somalia, bordering Puntland on the north. Galmudug is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation, but rather considers itself autonomous within the larger Somali federalism, for what that's worth...
soldiers killed 50 snuffies and captured new areas from al-Shabaab.
The Minister added that another planned operation by the armed forces with the support of foreign partners in the Lower Shabelle region killed 18 al-Shabaab members.
The statement comes as the operations against al-Shabaab enter the second phase with president Hassan Sheikh vowing to bring an end the group’s presence in Somalia this year.
Somalia started an all-out war against al-Shabaab in August last year following a deadly siege at Hayat hotel in Mogadishu which killed more than 20 people.
The group frequently targets hotels and restaurants in seaside capital city, where Somali officials and security officers are known to gather.