Shabab militants claimed responsibility on Monday for an attack on a Somali military base about 30 miles outside the capital, Mogadishu, that killed at least five soldiers, officials and witnesses said.Ibraahim Aadan Najah, the governor of Lower Shabelle Province, told reporters that heavy fighting broke out after a car bomb was driven into the entrance gate of the base, which is in the village of Laanta Buuro.
Ibraahim Aadan Najah, the governor of Lower Shabelle Province, told reporters that heavy fighting broke out after a car bomb was driven into the entrance gate of the base, which is in the village of Laanta Buuro.The insurgents then stormed the base on foot, and Mr. Najah said they stole two military vehicles. The Shabab, a Somali militant group that has gained a reputation for violent attacks, claimed to have killed at least 30 members of the armed forces, according to its radio station Andulus.
Mohamed Akarim, a farmer who lives not far from the base, said loud explosions could be heard around 2 a.m., followed by gunfire that continued for about an hour and a half.
