Hiiraan Online
Friday, December 11, 2015
MOGADISHU (HOL) –Gunmen shot dead two Somali soldiers in the central Somali town of Beledweyne Friday, one of the latest rare attacks by militants since their ouster from the town in 2013, officials said.
The soldiers were killed after two suspected militants approached them and opened fire on them in Howlwadag locality in the town.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which also wounded two other civilians.
According to witnesses, the attackers have immediately escaped the scene after the attack. Security officials in the town said that security forces were pursuing the attackers.
Beledweyne, a town in Hiiraan region is under the control of African Union forces and
Somali government.
Somalia faces a major security challenge from Al-Shabab militant group that controls large swathes in south and central of the country.
The African Union and Somali troops have launched a major offensive against areas still under militants control, recapturing key strongholds, however, Al-Shabab has since stepped up attacks against government and African Union forces supporting it.