The Somali National Army, with the support of International Partners, has on Sunday killed 40 Al-Shabaab militants and arrested six others in an offensive operation conducted in Welmorow, a location approximately 40 kilometers away from the Afmadow district in the lower Juba region.

The joint forces also seized a vehicle rigged with explosive devices during the operation.

The U.S. Africa Command has confirmed the operation, stating that it conducted targeted airstrikes in self-defense against Al-Shabaab. According to their statement, 10 militants were killed in the operation while no harm was inflicted on civilians.

“At the request of the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command conducted three collective self-defense airstrikes overnight in a remote area near Afmadow, approximately 105 kilometers north of Kismayo, against al-Shabaab terrorists,” reads the statement from U.S Africa Command.

The statement added: “Working with the Somali National Army, U.S. Africa Command’s initial assessment is that the U.S. airstrike killed 10 al-Shabaab terrorists and that no civilians were injured or killed,”

In the midst of a recent wave of attacks by Al-Shabaab militants in recently liberated areas, the capture of these militants and the interception of an explosives-laden vehicle deliver a huge setback to the extremist group’s capabilities and operations