Sunday March 24, 2024
Mogadishu (HOL) - At least 17 people were killed and others wounded after the Islamist group al-Shabaab attacked Busley base, which is a military base in the Lower Shabelle region, on Saturday.
Reports indicated that the militants briefly occupied the base, but the Somali security forces regained control after intense fighting.
According to reports, seven Somali soldiers, including the commander of the base, and ten al-Shabaab fighters were killed in the fighting.
Al-Shabaab militants claimed to have killed 57 government officials, but this has not been independently verified.
Somalia government officials could not be reached for comment.
The new attack comes a week after Somali government forces, supported by international partners, killed 40 al-Shabab militants in an airstrike in the Lower Shabelle region. The operation occurred in Baldooska and Baghdad villages, approximately 30 kilometers north of Mogadishu.