BAIDOA (SD) – Somali military has killed at least five al-Shabaab fighters and wounded several others following fierce fighting with the group in Bay region, a military official confirmed Friday.

Somali National Army’s area Operations commander Ibrahim Aden told the media their forces stormed al-Shabaab base in a village near Dinsor town.

“Acting on intelligence reports, we raided the group’s base, the militants were being amassed in the village and planning to carry out an attack on SNA in Bay region,” he said.

Ibrahim vowed to intensify operations to hunt down al-Shabaab in the region.

“Our plan is to eradicate al-Shabaab fighters from this region, the group is now weakened,” the commander stated.

Somali military backed by AMISOM troops has been fighting al-Shabaab militant group for the last one decade.

The militant group which declared allegiance to al-Qaeda in 2012 carries out deadly attacks on military bases and government installations in south and central Somalia.

The group also targets hotels, restaurants and public place.

In an interview with Military Times based in Northern Virginia this week, US Air Force Col. Chris Karns said Al-Shabaab remains a threat to the U.S. and a dangerous enemy.

Karns underscored that US is committed to neutralised the militants in Somalia to create conducive environment for both Somalis and US citizens.

“Attacks also disrupted their ability to plan and carry out attacks prevent movement and communications, and impacted their ability to create safe havens,” Karns said.

He added that U.S. airstrikes have also prevented the terrorist organization from conducting operations outside Somalia’s borders

“Al-Shabab is an affiliate of al-Qaida and the group’s “largest and most kinetically active branch,” Karns told Military Times.