Heavily armed fighters from the Al-Qaeda-linked group in Somalia attacked African Union and Somali troops’ bases in the southern coastal town of Barawe, the latest attack by the group which stepped up attacks against the government, officials said on Wednesday.
Al-Shabab which trying to take over the horn of Africa nation have staged spate of high-profile attacks, including a deadly attack on the AU base in Mogadishu last year as well as the United Nations Development program’s office in the city which is recovering from decades of war.
Al-Shabab which resorted to guerilla attacks after their ouster from their key strongholds currently controls villages in rural areas from where they launch attacks against AU and Somali troops.
Officials say the latest attack by the group has resulted in ‘heavy’ causalities on both sides; however, there were no immediate information about the attack in Marin-Gubay, a village on the outskirts of Barawe. Residents reported that militants have killed the village’s government administrator during the overnight attack.
Elsewhere, Al-Shabab fighters have ambushed army convoys travelling from Barawe on Wednesday night, highlighting serious challenges facing the weak government which is trying to contain the increasing deadly insurgency by Al-Shabab. There were no immediate details about the attack.
