Five AU soldiers killed in Somalia explosions – Al Shabab

At least five Ugandan soldiers were killed and five others wounded on Saturday and Sunday in separate roadside bomb explosions in the Lower Shabelle region.

Saturday’s blast reportedly killed two Ugandan peacekeepers serving under the African Union mission in Somalia (ATMIS) and wounded five others while they were on their way to escort a convoy of vehicles carrying food supplies to their base in Janalle town, about 90 km (55 miles) southwest of Mogadishu.

A vehicle carrying food supplies was also partially destroyed. On Sunday, another IED explosion struck a convoy ferrying supplies near Shalambood town, about 110 km south of the capital, leaving three Ugandan soldiers dead.

In a statement, Al Shabab – an al-Qaeda-linked group – claimed responsibility for both bomb attacks, saying its bomb units had killed five African Union soldiers from Uganda and wounded five more. The claim remains unverified as ATMIS has yet to comment on the casualties.

In the Bay region, the group said it killed three Ethiopian troops and wounded four others during an ambush attack on their base in Bardale town. It is unclear whether the soldiers were serving under the African Union mission, as Ethiopia has non-ATMIS forces in Somalia.

Al Shabab also claimed to have killed a Kenyan soldier and wounded three others, and burned down two tents with military supplies in their camp in the Egeey area of Dadaab, Garissa County, northeast Kenya.

The Kenyan military has yet to comment on the claims. Kenya’s northeast region has been a regular target for Al Shabab since Nairobi sent its troops into Somalia in 2011 to prevent cross-border attacks by the al-Qaeda-linked group.

Despite losing control of many towns, the militant group has stepped up its attacks since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an “all-out war” to drive them from Somalia.

Driven out of Mogadishu in 2011 by Somali and African Union forces, the extremist group continues to carry out deadly attacks. For over a decade, they have been fighting to overthrow the Somali government and impose a strict interpretation of Islamic sharia law.

Al Shabab still controls large areas in southern and central Somalia, from which it is believed to launch attacks against Somali National Army bases, African Union peacekeepers, and the capital, Mogadishu.

Source » mareeg.com