On 24th February, Somalia National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) claimed that it had conducted 4 operations killing at least 23 Al Shabab terrorists.

NISA said that they were carried out with the international security partners of the country and in sections of the Hiiraan region and Middle Shabelle of the south-central state of Hirshabelle.

According to a statement by the agency, the terrorists were struck when they were about to make attacks inside the state.

“These preemptive attacks followed the intelligence received by NISA that the Khawarij group was marshalling fighters in the Wab-weyn and Gobo regions in the neighbourhood of Mahas town,” NISA said in a statement.

In Somali, the government refers to the Al Shabab terrorist group which is affiliated with the Al Qaeda organization as Khawarij.

The operations also destroyed an insurgency by the Al Shabab terrorist camp in the town of Moqokori in the Hiiraan region, which has had more than 16 years of insurgency by attacking security forces, officials and civilians as a result of this statement.

Ever since last July, the Somali army with the help of the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia and other international partners has increased operations against Al Shabab.

In December, the UN Security Council renewed the mandate of the African Union mission to one more year and a UK-sponsored resolution to prolong its authorisation until the end of 2013.