Somalia
Somalia: Al Shabaab base in Bakool region attacked
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May 2, 2009 - 9:49:34 AM

HUDDUR, Somalia May 2 (Garowe Online) - Unknown gunmen attacked an airstrip and a police station in a provincial capital in southwestern Somalia overnight Friday controlled by Islamist hardliners, Radio Garowe reports.

The airstrip and the police station in Huddur, capital of Bakool region, is under the control of Al Shabaab guerrillas.

Huddur residents said unidentified gangs used mortars and rockets to simultaneously target the two locations, sparking battles that lasted nearly 30 minutes.

One witness said he saw a wounded woman, but there were no reports of casualties from inside the airstrip or the police station.

Unconfirmed reports said the unknown attackers briefly took control of the airstrip and the police station from a small number of Al Shabaab fighters there.

The attackers withdrew from town early Saturday morning.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but there are heavily armed clan militias present in Bay and Bakool regions that oppose Al Shabaab hardliners.

Source: Garowe Online