Mogadishu, Jul 10 (IANS): Forty al-Shabab militants were killed by the Somali National Army (SNA)'s elite forces, Danab, during a joint operation with regional and international forces in lower Juba region of southern Somalia, officials confirmed.

Somalia's Defence Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur said on Sunday that the latest onslaught by joint forces' managed to neutralise the al-Shabab militants who were reorganising in readiness for an attack against soft targets.

Nur did not comment on whether there were casualties on the side of the Army that has intensified the airstrikes and ground operations against the al-Qaeda-linked militants in their stronghold of central and southern Somalia, Xinhua news agency reported.

The latest military onslaught against al-Shabab was conducted a day after the Defence Minister bid farewell to thousands of troops who completed training and were ready to join the operation against armed groups.