Terror group Al Shabaab kills seven troopers in assault on navy base in central Somalia

Members of the militant group, Al Shabaab, entered a navy base in part of central Somalia forcibly and killed at the very least seven troopers.

Mogadhishu,UPDATED: Jan 17, 2023 14:33 IST

Somali displaced mom Binti Moalim Hassan lays beside her malnourished 3-year-old daughter Faduma in a hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia. (Photo: Reuters)

By Reuters: Islamist fighters from al Shabaab on Tuesday stormed a navy base in part of central Somalia they have been pressured from final yr, killing at the very least seven troopers, together with the bottom commander, an officer mentioned.

Assailants from the al Qaeda affiliate rammed the bottom within the village of Hawadley with a suicide automotive bomb after which opened fireplace, Captain Aden Nur, a navy officer in a close-by city, instructed Reuters.

“We repelled al Shaabab. We lost seven soldiers, including our commander,” Nur instructed Reuters.

Al Shabaab claimed accountability for the assault in a press release, saying it had killed “many apostate soldiers and their commander”.

The base is situated about 60 km (35 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu and was wrested from al Shabaab management in October final yr by authorities forces and allied clan militias.

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The offensive, which started in August, has made vital positive aspects. On Monday, the federal government introduced it had captured Harardhere, an al Shabaab stronghold on the Indian Ocean coast that it had held for a decade.

But as strain on al Shabaab has grown, its fighters have struck again, stepping up gun and bomb assaults on the navy and civilians, together with in areas it has been chased from.

The group has been combating since 2007 to topple Somalia’s central authorities and impose its strict interpretation of Islamic regulation.

The insurgency has contributed to an acute meals disaster in Somalia. More than 200,000 Somalis are struggling catastrophic meals shortages, with some components of central Somalia on the point of famine.

Published On:

Jan 17, 2023