25 militants killed in central Somalia

At least 25 militants were killed by government troops in last two days at some villages in Hiran region, central Somalia, military officials said on Wednesday.

Senior military officer Mohamed Omar told media that government troops along with Ethiopian forces conducted in the past two days operations against Al-Shabab in Hiran region.

"During this military operation, we killed 25 Al-Shabaab fighters. Most of them died in Luq jelow village in Hiran region," he said.

The military officer said they will continue the operation until they liberate all villages under Al-Shabab control, denying there were casualties among the coalition.

Al-Shabab said it had inflicted heavy casualties on joint forces, saying it killed many Ethiopian and Somali troops which denied by the officials.

Residents said that some villages in Hiran region witnessed in the recent days deadly fighting between Somali government and Ethiopian troops.

"There was a fierce battle between the two parties and the situation remains tense. There are fears the outbreak of fighting in nearby villages," one of the residents in Luq jilow told Xinhua.