Somali National Army (SNA) forces have captured two villages near Baidoa, the administrative capital of the Southwest state.
The SNA soldiers captured Modo-Modo and Daynunay villages in an operation that they carried out on December 14.
Previously, Al-Shabaab militants had taken control of the villages near Baidoa and terrorized local residents.
The two villages are roughly 250km to the southwest of Mogadishu.