Eight soldiers were killed when a suicide vehicle bomb targeted a Somalia military training camp and attackers then entered the base on foot, the military said on Monday.
Advertisement
The assault on a base 50 km (30 miles) outside Mogadishu was part of the group’s campaign to try to topple the Western-backed government and impose its own strict interpretation of Islam.
The auto bomb on Monday morning allowed the fighters to infiltrate the Lanta Buro base in Lower Shabelle region, a military officer, Said Mohamed Adawe, told The Associated Press.
Farah said “heavy exchange of fire continued for hours”, adding that at least 12 al-Shabab fighters were killed. He did not mention al Shabaab casualties.
Takfiri terrorists have been pushed out of Mogadishu and other major cities by government troops and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The city has had regular attacks, including suicide bombings, since. There was no information of the number of al-Shabaab fighters killed given by spokesman Abdiasis Abu Musab.
The attackers rammed a auto packed with explosives before storming the base on Monday morning.
Advertisement
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.
