Al-Shabaab attacks AU military base in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Al-Shabaab militants raided a Burundian National Defence Forces (BNDF) base in Somalia, in the latest attack against the peacekeepers, who have played a key role in the stabilization mission within the Horn of Africa nation.

According to reports, at around 03:25 am on Saturday, Al-Shabaab militants carried out a propping attack against Burundian troops’s base in Bal’ad, 30km north of Mogadishu. The town is prone to Al-Shabaab attacks.

The BNDF responded with heavy weapons which lasted for 25 minutes; no civilian casualties have been reported. The army managed to subdue the militants, who have lost significant territories in the last two years across the country.

Later on Saturday, the militants attacked a convoy of civilian, 3-trailer trucks headed to Jowhar in the Middle Shabelle region. The attack occurred near Gololey, north of Bal’ad, and several trucks were damaged.

The African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) is set to hand over security responsibilities to the Somali National Army by the end of the year once the Somali Transition Plan is fully implemented. Already, 5,000 soldiers have left the country.

On Saturday, the African Union forces from Uganda handed over their base in Barire town, Lower Shabelle region to Somali forces as part of the withdrawal of foreign peacekeepers. In this third phase of the AU troop drawdown, 5000 soldiers from the five contributing countries are expected to leave Somalia by the end of this month.

Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, and Djibouti contributed to the peacekeeping mission by dispatching over 20,000 soldiers who are stationed in different sectors. Kenya maintains that exit from Somalia would give Al-Shabaab a chance to expand its territories.

GAROWE ONLINE