Mogadishu government vows to eradicate Shebab militia

Somali transitional government forces on Saturday vowed to ridMogadishu of all “violent elements,” a day after a major offensive aimed at dislodging Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab militia from the capital.Oficials in Galmudug, a semi-autonomous province of central Somalia, meanwhile, said dozens of security forces were on the trail of a foreigner who was kidnapped there.And the Islamist Shebab militia in Somalia said a British fighter was killed Saturday during a drone attack in the capital Mogadishu.“There are still a few pockets of resistance of the defeated terrorists. They launched at least six desperate counter-attacks last night, but the TFG (government forces) and AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) troops have repelled them,” agovernment military official said as the Shebab vowed to fight on.“Our forces consolidated the positions they captured yesterday and the situation is quiet this morning, but the military campaign to eliminate violent elements from Mogadishu will continue,” added the official, Abdulahi Mohamed.One official said the kidnapped man, whose nationality was unknown, was a journalist, while another said he worked for a company that is building a port for the coastal town of Hobyo.Gunmen reportedly abducted the victim on the airport road near the town of Galkayo.Reacting to Shebab’s statement on the British fighter, a spokeswoman for Britain’s foreign ministry said: “We are aware of the reports and we are looking into them.”Britain does not currently have any diplomatic representation in Somalia.In Mogadishu, Mohamed said six Somali government troops had been killed and 18 wounded since the start of the offensive against the Shebab militia.An AFP photographer said three Somali soldiers and a government official were killed when Shebab fighters attacked a convoy including journalists near the front line.Mohamed said Friday’s offensive left 22 Shebab fighters dead, a claim denied by the rebels, who also said they withdrew from some positions for tactical reasons.“The Christian enemy and their allied apostate Somali troops attacked our positions from four directions,” Shebab spokesman Sheik Abdulaziz Abu Musab told reporters.