An offensive launched by the Somali government troops has killed at least 15 people as the weak, U.N.-backed government attempts to win back the control of areas held by the militants, officials said Monday.
The government says the offensive, which began on Sunday, has recorded some early successes, with militants fleeing from at least one town near the border with Kenya.
Somalia's Ministry of Information said 11 al-Shabab militants and one government soldier have been killed in the fighting. A witness said at least three civilians died. There was no way to independently verify the casualty figures.
Somalia hasn't had a fully functioning government since 1991. The U.S. and Italy are helping pay for training for government forces to take on militants.
Fighting was seen in the Bakol region, near the Ethiopian border, and the government said its forces had recaptured the Beled-Hawa district in the southwestern region of Somalia, bordering Kenya.
"The government soldiers entered our town on the Sunday morning, forcing al-Shabab to flee," said Mohamed Osman, a resident. He said people in town burned al-Shabab's black flag and hoisted the Somali national flag above government buildings.
Somalia's Minister of Information, Abdirahman Omar Osman, said the operation is off to a good start.
"The victory in which our forces took over Beled-Hawo is for Somalis, the Somali flag and freedom. Forces will continue their struggle until they liberate the entire region from the brutal rule of al-Shabab," the minister said.
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