Puntland military retake town of Af-Urur
MOGADISHU, Somalia: Heavily armed Al-Shabab extremists stormed a military base in Somalia’s semiautonomous state of Puntland, killing close to 70 people and wounding dozens more, officials said Thursday. Residents said civilians, including women, were beheaded during the rampage.
Officials called it the region’s deadliest attack in years, highlighting the twin challenges facing security forces from the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabab and the growing presence of fighters linked to Daesh.
The attack began with a blast at the remote Af-Urur camp, roughly 100 kilometers west of the commercial hub of Bossaso, before the extremists overran the base and killed soldiers at close range, said Ahmed Mohamed, a senior military official.
Close to 70 people were killed, though an exact death toll was not yet available, Mohamed said. Abdi Hersi Ali, Puntland’s interior minister, said troops suffered causalities but he declined to give further details.
Puntland military retook the town, which Bari region Gov. Yusuf Mohamed said earlier on Thursday had been attacked by Al-Shabab fighters.
“It was heavy fighting. We lost 20 sol- diers and 14 of our military cars were burnt. We have now retaken the town,” Major Mohamed Abdi, a Puntland military officer, told Reuters by phone.
The assault came days after Puntland sentenced to death five Al-Shabab members who were arrested as they drove a vehicle carrying three barrels packed with explosives into Bosaso, Puntland’s capital, on April 26.
Residents in the area reported chaotic scenes, with fighters beheading several civilians they encountered. One witness, Abdibasit Hassan, said women were among those beheaded.
“The situation is grim over there. This attack was an unexpected one,” Mohamed said. The extremists, including suicide bombers, reportedly attacked the base from three directions, forcing soldiers to retreat.
Col. Hashi Ahmed, a senior military official, told The Associated Press that reinforcement troops reached the area and drove the extremists out of the camp. He estimated that at least 100 fighters were involved in the attack.
Al-Shabab claimed killing at least 61 soldiers in the attack. The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors extremist groups, said the extremist group issued the claim via its Shahada News Agency. Al-Shabab also said it seized a large amount of weapons and ammunition and more than a dozen military vehicles.