News / Somalia

Shabab attack on Somali base kills 10 soldiers

Monday, 11 July 2016 7:35 AM [ Last Update: Monday, 11 July 2016 7:39 AM ]

People look at the wreckage of a minibus ripped by a bomb on June 30, 2016, in Afgooye near Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. © AFP

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab militants in Somalia have killed at least 10 soldiers in an attack on a military base southwest of the capital, Mogadishu.

The fatalities came on Monday when the Takfiri group rammed a car packed with explosives into the base. Militants then stormed the base, sparking a heavy exchange of fire which lasted for hours.

Major Ahmed Farah from the nearby town of Afgooye said at least 12 militants were killed in the clashes while a spokesman with the Takfiri group claimed to have killed 30 soldiers.

The assault on the base 50 km (30 miles) outside Mogadishu was part of the group's campaign to topple the Western-backed government.

Somalia has been the scene of deadly fighting between government forces and al-Shabab elements since 2006.

Takfiri terrorists have been pushed out of Mogadishu and other major cities by government troops and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

AMISOM is largely made up of troops from Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Sierra Leone, and Kenya.

Al-Shabab members have continued to carry out attacks in Mogadishu despite being driven out from their bases in the seaside city in 2011.

Its victims have included international aid workers, journalists, civilian leaders and African Union peacekeepers.

Last month, a bomber first detonated a car with explosives at the gate of a hotel often used by politicians and tourists in the capital before the attackers moved in, killing at least 14 people.

The group claimed attack on another hotel in Mogadishu which killed at least 10 people and left 50 others injured.

On Sunday, more than 100 al-Shabab militants raided a police station in northeast Kenya overnight, wounding one officer and making off with arms and ammunition.

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