MOGADISHU, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Somali security forces killed 13 al-Shabab militants, including five commanders, and injured eight others during a sting operation carried out on Sunday evening in the Maxaa Saciid area of southeastern Somalia.

The National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) said on Monday that the operation targeted a house where senior al-Shabab leaders were holding a meeting.

"Targeted leaders were meeting to plan terrorist attacks and to coerce local residents into providing forced support. The national intelligence services thwarted these plans by neutralizing the group and dismantling their ongoing activities in the area," NISA said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

The latest military operation comes as Somali security forces have been ramping up offensives against al-Shabab militants across the country.

Local soldiers, backed by international partners, have been conducting joint operations in central and southern regions as government forces seek to gain a foothold. ■