MOGADISHU– Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) says its elite forces have killed 12 suspected Al-Shabaab militants in a special operation in the Hawad area of Jambalul, in Afgooyr District of the Lower Shabelle region.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, NISA said its special forces conducted a targeted operation to flush out militants who had been terrorising local residents. According to the agency, the suspects were secretly planning an attack in the Hawad area, and the operation focused on their hideouts and locations where explosives were being prepared.

The operation escalated into a direct confrontation, during which the militants reportedly fired mortars towards civilian-inhabited areas.

NISA confirmed that civilians were harmed in the exchange, along with two of its soldiers who sustained injuries. The agency said the wounded personnel are receiving medical care under government supervision.

The Federal Government of Somalia said it deeply regrets the harm caused to civilians, blaming what it described as “cowardly attacks” by Al-Shabaab militants. It added that security operations would continue with the aim of neutralising the group’s remaining cells.

Lower Shabelle has in recent months seen intensified tactical operations by elite Somali forces aimed at dismantling Al-Shabaab networks that have restricted the movement of people and obstructed access to government services in the region.