The Somalian forces have killed 39 al-Shabab militants after heavy fighting near the central town of Harardhere.

The Commander for the Infantry Mohamed Tahlil Bihi told the state-run Radio Mogadishu that the local forces backed by international partners killed the militants who had burned down a commuter bus when escaping from the battlefield.

The fighting came a day after the militant group carried out a deadly attack on Sunday in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.