Mogadishu, Feb 15 (IANS): Over 200 al-Shabab militants were killed during a week-long operation carried out by the Somali National Army (SNA) and regional forces in the south and central regions of Somalia, officials said on Wednesday.

The latest onslaught against the al-Qaeda-linked militants had paid off, amid mass casualties, Minister for Information Daud Aweis Jama told a briefing in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said troops intensified assaults on militants in areas under Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Southwest and Jubbaland states.

More militants surrendered during the operation, including a Shabab commander and bomb expert, Jama said.

The SNA said its forces on Tuesday killed 10 al-Shabab militants and injured several others in an operation in Mudug region, central Somalia.

Al-Shabab has yet to comment on the latest onslaught, but claimed earlier this week that it had attacked two bases in Lower Shabelle and Jubba regions, in southern Somalia, killing several soldiers.

The terror group was driven out of Mogadishu in 2011 but is still capable of conducting attacks, targeting government installations, hotels, restaurants and public places.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has declared an all-out war against al-Shabab, vowing to flush out the militants from their strongholds.