Mohamud Hassan Ibrahim, SNA army commander in the region, told the state-owned Radio Mogadishu that 17 other al-Shabab militants were also injured and the government forces burnt down an armored vehicle of al-Shabab during the operation.

Ibrahim said that the operation was aimed at liberating areas still under al-Shabab militants and making sure the main roads are safe for movement.

There was no immediate comment from the militants on the military operation by SNA forces in the central region.

Southern and central regions of Somalia have seen clashes between the government forces and al-Shabab since the militants were chased out of the capital Mogadishu in August 2011 by allied forces.