Mogadishu — Somali police said on Saturday that security forces were conducting operations to recover illegal weapons allegedly hidden by armed men involved in recent fighting in Mogadishu's Abdiaziz district.

In a statement, police said the weapons had been concealed in various locations following an attack on the district by militia fighters.

Authorities called on residents of Abdiaziz and surrounding neighbourhoods to cooperate with security agencies as they carry out searches aimed at restoring security and public order.

Police warned that no individual would be allowed to store or hide illegal weapons intended to undermine security in the capital, Mogadishu, or elsewhere in the country.

The statement added that security agencies would take strict legal action against anyone found to be involved in storing, concealing or facilitating the movement of unauthorized weapons.

The operation follows clashes in Abdiaziz district that heightened tensions in the Somali capital, although authorities did not immediately provide details on the number of weapons recovered or any arrests made.