A Somali official says at least five Al-Shabaab members were killed during a fierce gunfight in the town of Qoryoley in Lower Shabelle region on Sunday night.
Ibrahim Malable, a local official in the town said an Al-Shabaab commander who spearheaded the attack has been beheaded by the government after capturing him alive.
The officer noted that the forces have conducted door to door operations on Monday morning to pursue Al-Shabaab remnants in the town following the overnight assault.
Malable did not comment on the casualties on their side as result of the Al-Shabaab attack that prompting heavy fighting between the Somali troops and the militants.
Al-Shabaab which maintains links with Al Qaeda has been fighting to overthrow the UN-backed Somali Federal government in Mogadishu for almost ten years.
