Abdulrahman Mohamed Jama, commander of Puntland province's police force, said that violent clashes erupted between Somalia National Army and Al-Shabaab members in the Galgala Mountains on the outskirts of Bosaso town in the northern region of Bari.

“Our forces inflicted severe casualties on the militants during the clashes, which lasted for several hours, killing 10 of them and capturing another fighter alive. On the other hand, our two soldiers were killed and one injured during the confrontation," Jama added.

Harakat al-Shabaab al-Mujahideen (Movement of Striving Youth), more commonly known as al-Shabaab, is an Islamic group based in East Africa.

In 2012, it pledged allegiance to the organization Al-Qaeda.

Al-Shabaab's troop strength was estimated at 7,000 to 9,000 militants in 2014.

As of 2015, the group has retreated from the major cities; however, al-Shabaab still controls large parts of the rural areas. (ILKHA)