MOGADISHU – Shabaab militants attacked a military base within the southern Somali city of Barire on Friday, killing at the least 20 troopers and looting tools, native sources stated.
The assault on the Somali Nationwide Military army camp in Barire, round 40 kilometres (25 miles) west of the capital Mogadishu, started with two suicide attackers detonating their automobile bombs earlier than gunmen overran the bottom, they stated.
“There was heavy casualty and greater than 20 troopers have been killed,” Abdulahi Haji Mohamed, a conventional elder, stated by telephone, including that casualties have been taken by helicopter to Mogadishu. A number of different sources gave the identical tally, whereas the Al-Qaeda-aligned Shabaab group claimed it had killed greater than 30 troops.
Shabaab spokesman Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage, also called Sheik Ali Dhere, stated in a launched audio message that the assault was in retaliation for the deaths of 11 farmers in an evening raid by Somali commandos who have been receiving US army help. “If the infidels killed 11 Muslims in Barire, at this time their casualty is greater than thirty apostates in accordance with the preliminary info from the Mujahideens. After getting revenge, the Mujahideen fighters looted 11 autos,” he stated.
“This assault was a message to the US and the Somali authorities and anybody who violate, transgresses the Muslim society whose blood won’t be forgotten.”
The Somali authorities didn’t remark formally on the assault. Mohamed Haji Ali, a army commander, advised native media “there was heavy preventing this morning” however didn’t give additional particulars.
Residents stated troopers’ our bodies have been left scattered on the bottom whereas Shabaab fighters looted the bottom, stealing autos and weapons.
One other resident described listening to two massive blasts adopted by heavy gunfire.
“This assault was very refined with the militants raiding the bottom from three instructions, there have been two enormous blasts, presumably suicide bombs,” stated Mohamed Malim.
SNA forces had solely lately established the army outpost at Barire after taking management of the city in August with the assistance of African Union troops.
The Islamist Shabaab have been preventing to overthrow the internationally backed authorities in Somalia since 2007.
They’ve repeatedly attacked civilian and army targets with gunmen and suicide bombers.
