Somali government says at least 27 al-Shabaab militants have been killed in south

At least 27 al-Shabaab militants were killed in a failed attack in the Bar Sangoni district near the town of Jamami in the southern Lower Juba region, the federal government said on Friday.

Somalia's Information Ministry said in a statement that government forces had received intelligence that thwarted the attack, adding that a number of al-Shabaab members were captured alive during the operation.

The ministry further noted that federal forces, with the support of Jubaland State forces and international partners, carried out the operation without mentioning any casualties in their ranks.

It should be noted that since Thursday, photos taken by the militants have been posted on social media, showing dead and wounded among them as well as others captured while alive.

U.S. extends state of emergency for Somalia for one year.

The United States has extended the national emergency it declared in 2010 for another year regarding the situation regarding Somalia, which remains an extraordinary threat to U.S. national security and foreign policy.

The White House statement justified the decision by citing the deteriorating security situation and continued violence, as well as acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia.

The statement added that the national emergency declared on April 12, 2010 and the measures taken on that date and on July 20, 2012 to address this threat will remain in force beyond April 12, 2024.

The announcement comes after the US embassy in Nairobi on Monday issued security warnings to its citizens living in the capital Mogadishu, saying it had received terrorist threats to target several locations in the city.