Somalia: Over 40 Shabaab Terrorists Killed in New Military Operation

People gather outside their destroyed shops after a suicide bomber detonated at the Banadir regional administration in Mogadishu, Sunday, Jan.22, 2023. (AP)
People gather outside their destroyed shops after a suicide bomber detonated at the Banadir regional administration in Mogadishu, Sunday, Jan.22, 2023. (AP)
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Somalia: Over 40 Shabaab Terrorists Killed in New Military Operation

People gather outside their destroyed shops after a suicide bomber detonated at the Banadir regional administration in Mogadishu, Sunday, Jan.22, 2023. (AP)
People gather outside their destroyed shops after a suicide bomber detonated at the Banadir regional administration in Mogadishu, Sunday, Jan.22, 2023. (AP)

The Somali army announced on Monday that it has killed 40 members of the extremist al-Shabaab Movement in a new military operation in the Mudug governorate.

The government confirmed that the security forces and intelligence services killed all the perpetrators of the terrorist attack that the group carried out against a municipality building in Mogadishu on Sunday.

A "military operation" was carried out in cooperation with international partners in the Bir Farah area, where members of the al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab were located, reported the Somali National News Agency (SONNA).

The army took complete control of the area and kicked off combing operations to secure it.

Somali police spokesman Sadek Adam said the security forces had deterred the Shabaab attack on Sunday.

The security forces were vigilant and thwarted the terrorists, he added, revealing that six civilians were killed in the attack.

The Somali Ministry of Information had said the police rescued officials and municipal employees and killed six terrorists.

Acting Governor of Banaadir Issa Ghouri visited the injured in the hospital, pledging that the government will cover the cost of their treatment.

Shabaab extremists kicked off Sunday’s attack by storming the Banadir Regional Administration headquarters in Mogadishu.

The attackers opened fire, killing at least six people. A police officer told the German news agency that among the dead were two security forces, three civilians, and the suicide bomber.

Separately on Monday, President Hassan Sheikh Mahmud inaugurated the conference of Somali religious scholars in Mogadishu.

The event was organized by Minister of Endowments and Religious Affairs Mukhtar Robow, the former leader of the Shabaab Movement.

The four-day meeting will focus on the fundamental understanding of Islam, correcting misconceptions about the religion, and rejecting extremist ideology.



WHO Says Polio Mass Vaccination Campaign to Resume in Gaza 

Palestinian families gather at Gaza port to enjoy and watch the sunset, 17 February 2025. (EPA)
Palestinian families gather at Gaza port to enjoy and watch the sunset, 17 February 2025. (EPA)
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WHO Says Polio Mass Vaccination Campaign to Resume in Gaza 

Palestinian families gather at Gaza port to enjoy and watch the sunset, 17 February 2025. (EPA)
Palestinian families gather at Gaza port to enjoy and watch the sunset, 17 February 2025. (EPA)

The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that a mass campaign to vaccinate children against polio in Gaza would resume on Saturday, with over half a million children targeted.

"The current environment in Gaza, including overcrowding in shelters and severely damaged water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, which facilitates fecal-oral transmission, create ideal conditions for further spread of poliovirus," the WHO statement said.

"Extensive population movement consequent to the current ceasefire is likely to exacerbate the spread of poliovirus infection," it added.