136 al-Shabab militants killed in southern Somalia

Somali security forces killed 136 al-Shabab militants, including three senior commanders, in a special operation conducted in southern Somalia on Saturday night, a government official

confirmed on Sunday.

Deputy Minister of Information Abdirahman Yusuf Al-adala said the government forces backed by international partners carried out a joint operation at a forestry area near Janale Town where the terrorists had gathered.

"About 100 al-Shabab fighters were injured in a well-coordinated operation. The government is committed to eradicating terrorists throughout the country," Al-adala told journalists in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.

He said the three commanders who were killed in the operation were in charge of guerrilla attacks and other group's terror activities in Lower Shabelle Region.

Al-adala added that the joint forces destroyed al-Shabab's battlewagons which were carrying weapons.

The extremist group still controls some parts of rural southern and central Somalia, and continues to carry out high-profile attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere despite the increased onslaught by government forces.