Al-Shabaab attacks AU camp in Somalia

MOGADISHU: Somalia’s al-Shabaab group attacked an AU mission troop camp in the Shabelle region in the centre of the country, a local elder and the group said yesterday, and another resident said three civilians had died in the crossfire.

The resident, who lives in a village near the scene, later said he saw two helicopters flying by and gunfire coming from them.

Al-Shabaab, which has been fighting for years to topple the central government and establish its own rule based on its strict interpretation of Islam’s sharia law, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Al Shabaab frequently carries out bombings and gun attacks in Mogadishu and elsewhere.