Mogadishu(Mogadishu24)-The Federal Government of Somalia announced on Sunday that it had eliminated 8 Al-Shabaab militants and injured several others in a fierce battle between the Somali National Army and Al-Shabaab militants in the Burujed area, 60 km southeast of Guriceel district in the Galgadud region, Central Somalia.

Guriceel District Commissioner, Farah Abdi Maalim stated that the incident occurred after Al-Shabaab militants attacked the SNA forces, leading to heavy fighting between the two sides.

He said that the National Army successfully repelled the attack, although 5 SNA soldiers were killed in the fight.

“Al-Shabaab terrorists attacked the Somali National Army, which retaliated and killed 8 of them. The militants were defeated and forced to flee for their dead bodies,” said Maalim.

“Unfortunately, we lost 5 of our soldiers in the fight. The area is now under the control of the Somali National Army,” he added.

However, Al-Shabaab militants claimed to have killed 60 SNA soldiers, injured several others, and seized 6 military vehicles from the government forces.

Both the claims by the federal government and Al-Shabaab have not been independently confirmed.

Two weeks ago, Al-Shabaab militants had claimed that they had killed 58 Galmudug State forces and injured 70 others in a fierce battle at Gaadey area near Wisil town in Mudug region, Central Somalia.

However, the government forces dismissed Al-Shabaab’s claims and reported that the forces killed 100 Al-Shabaab fighters, seized their weapons, and destroyed their hideouts.

The war between the Somali government and the Al-Shabaab group has intensified since the president declared a total war against the terrorist organization.

The federal government has also cut Al-Shabaab links, including their financial transactions, which had affected their military ability.

In response to the government’s multifaceted strategy, Al-Shabaab has resorted to planned attacks on Somali National Army (SNA) bases and civilian targets, killing dozens of SNA soldiers and civilians.

Since President Hassan Sheikh’s re-election, the Somali government has been pushing to regain its stability and security while seeking military strength and support from regional and international partners.