KISMAYO, Somalia, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- A woman identified as the leader of women for al-Shabaab is among dozens of suspected militants arrested in a joint operation by Kenyan and Somali forces.
Some 72 suspected militants were detained and an assortment of weapons seized in Kismayo, Somalia, as the government and African Union moved to tighten control over the southern port city, Shabelle Media Network reported Wednesday.
The woman was identified by locals as Marianna Issa Mohammed.
Two Kenyan soldiers were wounded and three militants were killed in the operation, said Col. Cyrus Oguna, a spokesman for the Kenyan troops.
Oguna credited the success of the operation to cooperation by Kismayo residents.
He added that five members of the extremist group were arrested as they tried to enter Kenya.
Kenyan troops, as part of a contingent of African Union forces, entered Somalia last year in to help Somali forces drive al-Shabaab out of the country
The extremist group was pushed out of Kismayo last month.
