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Somalia’s army has killed 27 al-Shabab fighters in a large-scale operation across the country’s southern regions.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: If you’re unaware, al-Shabab is a brutal terrorist organization that has been waging an insurgency against Somalia’s central government since 2007, with the goal of toppling it and replacing it with its own strict interpretation of Islamic law. The group is considered by US Africa Command to be the largest, wealthiest, and most lethal al-Qaeda-affiliated organization in the world, and it controls large portions of rural southern and central Somalia. The US has a history of carrying out airstrikes in support of Somali forces against the group.

What’s going on now: Somalia’s Defense Ministry announced Tuesday that its national army, backed by Jubbaland regional security forces, conducted ground operations targeting al-Shabab in Jilib, Xagar, and Afmadow. The operation led to forces recovering weapons, including RPGs and AK-47s, along with landmines that had been stockpiled for use against civilian targets. Among the dead were described as senior figures within the group, and the ministry confirmed forces are continuing to hunt down fighters who escaped the operation.

International partners also carried out airstrikes in support of the operation, though the ministry didn’t name them. Notably, the operation came days after US Africa Command confirmed it carried out a separate airstrike targeting al-Shabab on April 9 near Qalay in coordination with the Somali government.

The Somali government did not disclose if any of their forces suffered casualties in the operation. It’s also unclear if there were any civilian casualties.