The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) announced on Wednesday that approximately 462 Al-Shabaab fighters were neutralized following an unsuccessful assault by the extremist organization.
According to an official press release from the ENDF, the combatants were eliminated in the town of Rabdhure, located in the southwestern region of Somalia, as they attempted to engage an ENDF contingent stationed in the vicinity.
The ENDF further revealed that the militant group had deployed a total of twelve suicide bombers and three vehicles laden with explosives during their ill-fated attack.
Notably, the Ethiopian military has previously thwarted numerous infiltration attempts by Al-Shabaab in eastern Ethiopia, aimed at executing cross-border acts of aggression, as stated in the official announcement.
Al-Shabaab, a militant Islamic rebel group, primarily operates within the war-torn borders of Somalia. However, it has also been implicated in perpetrating acts of terrorism in various other East African nations.
Ethiopia currently maintains a substantial presence of troops in Somalia, as part of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), which is dedicated to combating the persistent threat posed by Al-Shabaab.