Al-Shabaab attacks African Union base in Somalia - military
Islamist insurgents battled for hours on Sunday with African Union troops after
exploding a car bomb outside their base, Somali police, military and the
militants said.
Al Shabaab militants attacked the African Union (AU)peacekeepers' base in the
town Bulamarer, 130 kilometres to the northwest of the capital Mogadishu, around
9 a.m. local time, residents from the area told Reuters.
Since withdrawing from Mogadishu in 2011, the alQaeda-linked group has lost
control of most of Somalia's cities and towns. But it still retains a strong
presence in regions outside the capital.
The militants initially detonated two suicide car bombs that hit one AU
vehicle and one Somali military vehicle, Somali army major Farah Osman, who is
stationed near the AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) base, said.
"Then a large number of al Shabaab fighters began firing from under the trees
... it was a hellish battle," he said,adding there was an unknown number of
casualties.
The phone of the spokesman for the AMISOM force based in Mogadishu was
switched off on Sunday and Reuters was unable to reach any other officials from
the force for comment.
Abdiasis Abu Musab, a spokesman for al Shabaab said 14 of the group's
fighters and 59 AMISOM troops were killed in the incident.
A police major stationed in a nearby town also said two car bombs exploded
outside the base before the al Shabaab fighter sentered it.
Major Nur Ali told Reuters that Somali and AMISOM forces had attacked al
Shabaab in rural areas near the base on Saturday night. "Then al Shabaab
attacked this morning as a revenge," he said.
Somalia has been mired in civil war since 1991.
Source: Independent Online (IOL)
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