Al-Shabab attacks AU base in Somalia, casualties reported
Heavily armed Al-Shabab terrorists stormed an African Union base in Somalia on Tuesday, triggering a fierce firefight that caused casualties on both sides, military officials and witnesses said.
AU forces dispatched helicopter gunships after the pre-dawn car bomb and gun attack on a camp housing Burundian peacekeepers near Ceel Baraf, a village some 160 km northeast of Mogadishu, the sources said.
A high-ranking Burundian military officer said that about 30 soldiers were killed and another 22 wounded, while a dozen were missing. There was no confirmation about the toll from Somali or AU officials.
“There was heavy fighting and casualties inflicted on both sides, but we don’t have more details about this incident so far,” local military commander Mohamed Ali said.
“They launched the attack with a car bomb blast before a heavy exchange of gunfire broke out,” he added.
Al-Shabab, which has been waging a deadly insurgency against Somalia’s central government for more than a decade, claimed responsibility for the assault.
It was the first such major attack on a peacekeeping base since the
AU Transition Mission in Somalia replaced the previous AMISOM peacekeeping force on April 1.
There has been no comment from ATMIS or the central government on the attack, which comes with the country locked in a deep political crisis over delayed elections and facing the threat of famine.
The Burundian military source said about 400 fighters stormed the base after blowing up two car bombs. Burundian soldiers then retreated to a nearby hillside where they continued to fight, supported by drones and helicopters.
The jihadists said in a statement they had taken control of the camp and claimed to have killed 173 African Union soldiers.
Al-Shabab also released a video showing bodies of what appeared to slain soldiers lying on the ground, according to the SITE Intelligence Group that monitors extremist organizations.
The death toll claims and the video could not be independently verified.
“Al-Shabab gunmen stormed the camp early morning, there were heavy blasts and exchanges of machine gun fire. The Burundians vacated the camp and entered Ceel Baraf village before helicopters arrived providing aerial support,” said one witness, local resident Weliyow Maalim.
“The helicopters fired missiles and heavy machine guns; we saw smoke rising over the camp but we don’t know about the situation exactly,” said another witness, Ahmed Adan.
In September 2015, at least 50 African Union troops were reported by Western military sources to have been killed when Al-Shabab fighters overran a military base in Janale, southwest of Mogadishu.