Somalia's Ministry of Defence says its army killed 27 al-Shabab fighters in a large-scale operation in Jubbaland (a semi-autonomous regional state in southern Somalia), conducted with air support from unnamed international partners widely believed to include the United States. The operation targeted districts across the Lower Jubba and Middle Jubba regions and resulted in the seizure of weapons including machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and landmines. Al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked group that has fought to overthrow Somalia's central government since 2007, is considered by U.S. Africa Command to be the largest and most lethal al-Qaeda-affiliated organisation in the world.