​Somali troops conduct security operation in Qoryoley after assassination

QORYOLEY, Somalia- Somali government forces carried out a security sweep in Qoryoley town in Lower Shabelle region following the assassination of a prominent elder last night, Garowe Online reports.

The operation saw soldiers stopping vehicles for inspection and searching houses suspected to be a hideout for assassins who killed elder Hajji Hassan outside a mosque in the evening.

The motive for the elder's killing is still unknown and no group has claimed responsibility for the murder.

There were no immediate official details about the latest operation in Qoryoley district, located about 120 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu; however, security sources said dozens of suspects were taken into custody.

The Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group carried out multiple deadly attacks in Qoryoley for the past few months, in an attempt to reclaim the strategic agriculture-rich town back from the Somali and African Union Peacekeeping forces.

GAROWEONLINE