Somalia: Al-Shabab Attack Military Base outside Mogadishu, Kill 17
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Somalia's Al-Shabab terrorist grouped attacked a military base outside the capital Mogadishu using car bombs and guns, killing 17 soldiers and taking control of the base and a nearby town, the group said Friday.
Residents and officials confirmed the attack, but gave no details on casualties.
"After morning prayer today, two... [members] rammed into Barire military base with suicide car bombs. We killed 17 soldiers and took seven technical vehicles," Abdiasis Abu Musab, Al-Shabab's military operation spokesman told Reuters Friday, referring to pick-up trucks mounted with machine guns.
"The other soldiers ran helter skelter into the woods. We now control the base and the village."
Barire is 50 km southwest of Mogadishu.
Al-Shabab aims to topple the government in Mogadishu and impose its strict own misinterpretation of Islam.
Somalia has been at war since 1991 when clan-based warlords overthrew dictator Siad Barre and then turned on each other.
The Al-Qaeda-linked group was driven out of the capital in 2011, but still carries out frequent attacks on security and government targets, but also on civilians.
They also target African Union peacekeeping troops.
Two weeks earlier, Al-Shabab attacked an army base at a town near the border with Kenya, while three weeks ago they struck another in the southern port city of Kismayu, killing at least 43 people in both incidents.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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