MOGADISHU: Fighters from Somalia’s insurgent group Al-Shabab attacked an army base on the outskirts of a town in the middle of the country, leading to at least seventeen deaths, a resident said.
The attack on Masagawa, nearly 300 kilometres north of the capital Mogadishu, came days after Al-Shabab targeted a base housing Ugandan troops from an African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in Bulamarer, around 130-kilometre southwest of Mogadishu.
Masagawa’s resident Hussein Nur said that he had seen seventeen dead people, including the attacked and the attackers. The violence has moved into the forest, while the town is calm now and under the control of government forces, Reuters reported.
A military officer in Masagawa, Captain Abdullahi Mohamed, confirmed the attack and said twelve Al-Shabab warriors had died, but he did not know how many soldiers were dead.
Mohamed said that fierce fighting continued for hours on the edge of the town. So far, several soldiers have died.
He added that they repulsed Al-Shabab fighters and are now pursuing them in the nearby forest.
In a statement on Twitter, the Somalia National Army said that it had foiled an attack on the town itself and killed Al-Shabab warriors but did not say how many.
Al-Shabab’s activities in Somalia
Al Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab has been active since 2006 to topple the central government of Somalia and establish its own government based on its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
It has launched big attacks against military bases, hotels, and government establishments despite a relatively successful pushback from the government.
The outfit said in a statement that it had killed seventy-three soldiers in the attack, targeting those personnel who had returned from training in Eritrea.
Al Shabab often gives a casualty toll in attacks that differ from those released by the authorities.
