Somalia Says 75 Al-Shabaab Killed as Group Claims 321 Troops Dead

Somalia’s Defense Ministry says government forces killed about 75 Al-Shabaab fighters and wounded 56 in hours of fighting on Oct. 26 in the Jameeca area near Buurhakaba, during Operation Banooda, a campaign targeting the group’s positions in the southern Bay region. The ministry said militants attacked army vehicles with explosives-laden vehicles, damaging some, but did not disclose government casualties. Al-Shabaab, by contrast, claimed it killed 321 government troops and seized prisoners, weapons and vehicles; its account and the government’s casualty figures could not be independently verified. The army says the offensive will continue to weaken the insurgents and prevent them from regrouping.