Thu Dec 25, 2014
At least five al-Shabab militants have reportedly been killed after attacking a military base belonging to the African Union (AU) mission in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
Colonel Ali Aden Houmed, spokesman for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), said on Thursday that the militants launched an attack on the Halane military base, Somalia’s largest base for AU troops, in Mogadishu.
The AU official said at least eight militants stormed the base, adding that three of them were shot dead, while two others detonated their explosives and died near a fuel depot.
Three others were also believed to have fled the scene of the attack.
The al-Shabab militant group has claimed responsibility for the assault, saying it was targeting a Christmas party at the base near the capital’s airport, which also houses UN offices.
Witnesses said the attack prompted a heavy exchange of fire between the AU forces and the militants.
The Somali government and the African Union forces have stepped up safety measures in an effort to prevent assaults by al-Shabab, which was pushed out of Mogadishu by the African Union troops in 2011.
However, the group still holds several smaller towns and areas in the center and south of the country.
Somalia has been the scene of clashes between government forces and al-Shabab since 1991.
The country did not have an effective central government until September 2012, when lawmakers elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the new president.
Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/391808.html.
At least five al-Shabab militants have reportedly been killed after attacking a military base belonging to the African Union (AU) mission in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
Colonel Ali Aden Houmed, spokesman for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), said on Thursday that the militants launched an attack on the Halane military base, Somalia’s largest base for AU troops, in Mogadishu.
The AU official said at least eight militants stormed the base, adding that three of them were shot dead, while two others detonated their explosives and died near a fuel depot.
Three others were also believed to have fled the scene of the attack.
The al-Shabab militant group has claimed responsibility for the assault, saying it was targeting a Christmas party at the base near the capital’s airport, which also houses UN offices.
Witnesses said the attack prompted a heavy exchange of fire between the AU forces and the militants.
The Somali government and the African Union forces have stepped up safety measures in an effort to prevent assaults by al-Shabab, which was pushed out of Mogadishu by the African Union troops in 2011.
However, the group still holds several smaller towns and areas in the center and south of the country.
Somalia has been the scene of clashes between government forces and al-Shabab since 1991.
The country did not have an effective central government until September 2012, when lawmakers elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamud as the new president.
Source: PressTV.
Link: http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/391808.html.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.