Somalia says army, allied militias repelled Al-Shabaab attacks, killed more than 130

Somalia said on Thursday that its army and allied clan militias have fought off coordinated raids on villages by Al-Shabaab armed group in the country’s south, killing more than 130 attackers, Reuters has reported.

The Al Qaeda-linked militant group has conducted a bloody insurgency in southern and central Somalia since 2007, killing thousands of people in a campaign that has been marked by deadly bombings in the capital Mogadishu.

Al-Shabaab attacked four villages in the Middle Shabelle region with vehicles laden with explosives on Thursday morning, and briefly captured two of them before being repulsed in heavy fighting, said two local residents and a defence ministry spokesperson.

“The heroes of the national army and the local people killed more than 130 [Al-Shabaab fighters] in the operation to defeat the enemy,” explained the information ministry.

According to local elder Nur Ibrahim in the village of Ali Ahmed, “They attacked all these areas from many directions with mortars, car bombs and gunfire.” He added that he saw the bodies of around 20 attackers, as well as seven soldiers and clan fighters.

Al-Shabaab frequently attacks military outposts and state targets as part of a mission to overthrow Somalia’s government and establish its own rule based on its strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Source » middleeastmonitor