Islamist rebels kill 39 AU soldiers in Somalia ambush

AL-SHABAAB insurgents and AU peacekeeping troops clashed in Somalia yesterday.

The extremist group claims that they killed 39 soldiers.

Al-Shabaab fighters ambushed a convoy carrying troops from the AU Mission in Somalia (Amisom), Colonel Hassan Mohamed said.

“The ambush turned into a fierce fight between al-Shabaab and Amisom. We understand fighting is still going on but we do not have the figure of casualties,” he said.

Abdiasis Abu Musab, al-Shabaab military operation spokesman, said: “We have in hand 39 dead bodies of AU soldiers, including their commander.”

Al-Shabaab, which wants to force out the peacekeepers, oust the Western-backed government and impose its strict interpretation of Islam in Somalia, has targeted the peacekeepers in the past.

A car bomb also detonated yesterday near a police station in the capital, Mogadishu, killing at least six people and wounding 13, according to police. Most of the victims of the blast were reportedly civilians. The injured were carried to hospitals by rescue workers. The bomb went off in traffic while soldiers were searching cars at a nearby intersection.

Al-Shabaab is known to carry out attacks in populous areas like hotels and checkpoints, but did not immediately claim the attack.