Several Somali soldiers were killed when Al Shebab fighters attacked a base in the southern Kismayo region, officials and witnesses said on Monday. The attack is the latest in a string of assaults by the Al-Qaeda-affiliated insurgents, who last week stormed a base manned by the African Union forces in Somalia (AMISOM), killing dozens.
Heavy gunfire was reported late Sunday for several hours, with the Shebab briefly taking over the camp near Kismayo and beheading some of those captured before looting supplies and leaving, witnesses said. “There was heavy fighting that left several of the soldiers dead,” said security official Abdirashid Moalim, speaking from Kismayo.
“There were machine guns and rockets, and the fighting ended when the soldiers were overpowered,” said Abdi Bakar, a witness, who said he had seen nine bodies.
The Shebab is fighting to overthrow Somalia’s Western-backed Government which is propped up and protected by the 22,000-strong AMISOM force.
On Friday, the Shebab attacked an AMISOM base in lego village, 100 kilometres (62 miles) northwest of the capital Mogadishu, manned by around 100 Burundian soldiers.