Al-Shabab claims deadly attack on African Union base in Somalia
- Heavily armed militants storm base of peacekeeping mission and violent clashes broke out
- Somalia, situated on the Horn of Africa, has been plagued by violence at the hands of al-Shabab for years
Al-Shabab jihadists armed with guns and explosives stormed an African Union base in Somalia on Tuesday, triggering a fierce firefight that killed an unknown number of Burundian peacekeepers.
The Somali government and the African Union condemned the “terrorist” attack although they did not disclose how many people had died.
A high-ranking Burundian military officer told AFP about 30 soldiers were killed and another 22 wounded, while a dozen were missing.
AU forces sent in helicopter gunships after the predawn attack on a camp housing Burundian troops near Ceel Baraf, a village some 160km (100 miles) northeast of the capital Mogadishu, military officials and witnesses said.
“There was heavy fighting and casualties inflicted on both sides,” local military commander Mohamed Ali said by phone. “They launched the attack with a car bomb blast before a heavy exchange of gunfire broke out.”
It was the first such attack on a peacekeeping base since the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) replaced the previous AMISOM peacekeeping force on April 1.
