Police officers stand near the bodies of alleged Al-Shabaab militants who have been killed after the siege at the Mogadishu Municipality Headquaters in Mogadishu on January 22, 2023. – At least six people were killed on January 23, 2023 in an attack by Al-Shabaab militants at the mayor’s office in central Mogadishu, police said. (Photo by Hassan Ali ELMI / AFP)
Al-Shabaab raid African Union army base in Somalia
Islamist Al-Shabaab fighters attacked an African Union military base in Somalia, the AU force said, without specifying if there were any casualties.
Police officers stand near the bodies of alleged Al-Shabaab militants who have been killed after the siege at the Mogadishu Municipality Headquaters in Mogadishu on January 22, 2023. – At least six people were killed on January 23, 2023 in an attack by Al-Shabaab militants at the mayor’s office in central Mogadishu, police said. (Photo by Hassan Ali ELMI / AFP)
Islamist Al-Shabaab fighters attacked an African Union military base in Somalia on Friday, the AU force said, without specifying if there were any casualties.
The Al-Qaeda-linked jihadist group has been waging a jihadist insurgency against the central government in the fragile Horn of Africa nation for more than 15 years.
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The army base in Bulo Marer, 120 kilometres (75 miles) southwest of the capital Mogadishu “came under Al-Shabab attack,” the AU force known as ATMIS said in a statement on Facebook and Twitter.
“ATMIS forces are currently assessing the security situation,” it said, without giving details.
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In recent months, the army and militias known as “macawisley” have retaken swathes of territory in the centre of the troubled country in an operation backed by ATMIS and US air strikes.
Despite the gains by the pro-government forces, the militants have continued to strike with lethal force against civilian and military targets.
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In the deadliest Al-Shabaab attack since the offensive was launched last year, 121 people were killed in October by two car bombings at the education ministry in Mogadishu.
© Agence France-Presse
