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JAMAALE , Somalia, April 5 (UPI) -- Six commanders of al-Shabab, the Somali insurgent group linked to al-Qaida, have been killed by African Union troops and Somali soldiers, it was announced Tuesday. The casualties include a local judge in Janaale, Somalia, and a Yemeni explosives expert.
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The news was announced by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the Somali National Army, who reported that one additional al-Shabab commander was killed last week.
"Operations to open the main supply route to the town of Janaale and clear improvised explosive devices continue and have now extended into the town. The clearance activities are meant to ease the movement of the population and goods," AMISOM said of the town on Somalia's coast, that has been under al-Shabab's control for the past seven months. The town is 46 miles from Mogadishu, the capital.
The Islamist al-Shabab insurgency in Somalia began in 2006, and has lost momentum since it was driven from Mogadishu in 2011. It now resorts to quick gun and bomb attacks instead of combat, including an attack that killed 12 Ugandan soldiers in Janaale in September 2015.
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