Dozens die in Somalia as extremists attack military

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — The al-Shabab extremist group attacked a Kenyan military base inside Somalia with a car bomb and machine-guns early Friday, and both the insurgents and Kenya’s military claimed dozens of deaths on the opposite side.

Nine soldiers — two officers and seven servicemen — were killed and more than 70 al-Shabab extremists died in the base attack, Col. Paul Njuguna, the Kenyan military spokesman, said in a statement.

Two Kenyan police officers also were killed and four seriously wounded when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device while they were crossing into Somalia to respond to the attack, a Kenyan official said.

Al-Shabab spokesman Sheikh Abdiaziz Abu-Musab said the group’s fighters killed at least 51 Kenyan soldiers during the early morning attack in Kulbiyow town in Lower Jubba region. But Kenyan military spokesman Njuguna denied it, saying “scores” of the extremist fighters were killed when soldiers repelled the assault.

A Somali military officer, Col. Ahmed Ali, said al-Shabab used a massive suicide car bomb to penetrate the camp, part of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, allowing dozens of extremists with machine-guns to overrun the base, torching tents and arms depots.

Ali also disputed al-Shabab’s claim of killing dozens of soldiers, saying the Kenyans fought back before retreating to a nearby area. He declined to give further details.

Somalia’s security forces are supposed to be taking on more responsibility as the AU force prepares to withdraw by the end of 2020. But concerns remain high about the country’s security, and the ongoing al-Shabab attacks in the capital and elsewhere have contributed to several delays in Somalia’s upcoming presidential elections.

The vote once set for last year is now expected to be held Feb. 8.