Al-Shabab storm AU base in Somalia, many dead
Islamic militants from the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab group attacked a remote African Union base in Somalia on Friday
Islamic militants from the al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab
group attacked a remote African Union base in Somalia on Friday, causing
many casualties, said the AU mission and a local official.
In
a tweet, the African Union mission confirmed there had been an early
morning attack on their outpost in Lego, but did not provide any further
details.
Mohammed Haji, an official in the Lower
Shabelle region told The Associated Press by telephone that militants
attacked the base entrance with a suicide car bomb before gunmen began
their assault.
“They managed to infiltrate the
entrance after the blast it was a complex attack,” said. He estimated
that up to 25 combatants may have been killed, but there was no way to
verify his claim.
Al-Shabab group, which vowed it
would step up attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, claimed
responsibility for the attack.
On Wednesday, nine
people were killed after a suicide bomber tried to ram his
explosives-laden car into a convoy of vehicles transporting Emirati
diplomats in the Somali capital of Mogadishu.
The
militants, who have ties with al-Qaeda, have been pushed out of much of
the territory they once controlled across the Horn of Africa nation,
including Mogadishu. But they remain a lethal threat, carrying out
guerrilla attacks on government and civilian targets.
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