SOMALIA – 23 Al-Shabaab militants were killed in an operation in the southern region of Middle Shabelle according to the Somali intelligence agency on Monday.

The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) forces, supported by international partners, targeted a site in the village of Ceel-weyne in Middle Shabelle’s Mahaddaay district, killing 23 Khawaarij fighters, including group leaders, the agency said in a statement on US social media company X.

Khawaarij is a term used by the Somali government to describe the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab.

The operation was launched after it was confirmed that the militants had assembled in the area to establish a base for organizing attacks intended to disrupt security, the NISA said.

It said a similar operation in the same area on Oct. 30 inflicted “heavy losses” on the militants.

The NISA said there were no civilian casualties and urged citizens to report any security threats or information on al-Shabaab or ISIS (Daesh).

Since July, the Somali army, with the support of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) and other international partners, has increased operations against the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group in Somalia’s south and central provinces.

Al-Shabaab, which has waged an insurgency against the Somali government for more than 16 years, frequently targets security forces, officials, and civilians.