Eighteen Al-Shabaab militants were executed Sunday in Galkayo town of Mudug, the Puntland State of Somalia, after being sentenced to death earlier by the court.

Chairperson of Puntland State court Mohamud Abdi Mohamed said their court proceedings followed through different stages before the execution.

“Puntland State Court of Armed Forces executed 18 Al-Shabaab militants this morning. These convicts were all behind the killings of many of our important people here. The court took the right action against them,” Mohamed said.

Al-Shabaab militants termed the execution a massacre of innocent civilians by the Puntland state.

The militant group has carried out a series of assassinations and bombings in Galkayo and other parts of the Mudug region, and Puntland officials have vowed to bring to justice any member of the terrorist group or those who engage in terrorist activities.