The Somali government's military operations against al-Shabab .

 The U.S. ambassador to Somalia said the Somali government's military operations against al-Shabab militants are making "great progress" and that the U.S. is "committed" to working with Somalia to defeat the group.

"The Somali government's operations against al-Shabab are making great progress," ambassador Stephen Schwartz said in an interview with Voice of America's Somali service.

"We are committed to working with the Somali government to ensure that al-Shabab is defeated and that Somalia is a stable, secure, and prosperous country," he said.

Al-Shabab, which is aligned with al Qaeda, has been fighting to overthrow the Somali government for more than a decade. The group has lost control of most of the territory it once controlled, but it still carries out deadly attacks in Somalia and neighboring Kenya.

The U.S. ambassador to Somalia, Stephen Schwartz, said the Somali government's military operations against the militant group al-Shabab are showing "significant progress."

 "The government's recent successes against al-Shabab demonstrate significant progress in liberating Somali territory and people from terrorist control," Schwartz said in a statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu on Saturday.

 Somali government forces, with the help of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), have been carrying out military