#other countries : Militants from the heavily armed Al-Shabaab militants attacked a military base of the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia on Tuesday, killing a local military commander and witnesses.
“The terrorists attacked a Burundian army base near Sil Baraf early this morning, and there was heavy fighting and casualties on both sides, but we don’t have more details yet,” local military commander Mohamed Ali, who questioned him by phone, told AFP.
“They launched the attack with a car explosion before a heavy exchange of fire,” he added.
Al-Shabaab, which is linked to Al-Qaeda and who has been leading an insurgency against the Somali state for more than ten years, claimed responsibility for the attack in a press release.
>>> Read also: Somalia: Youth attack a US base and an EU military convoy
It was not possible to obtain immediate comment from the African Transitional Mission in Somalia (Atmis).
This force, numbering nearly 20,000 soldiers, police and civilians from African countries, formally replaced the African Peacekeeping Force in Somalia (AMISOM) with a mandate extended at the end of March by the United Nations Security Council. The United Nations until the end of 2024 to stabilize the country in the face of the insurgency of the Islamist youth movement.
AMISOM had chased Al-Shabaab out of the country’s main cities, including the capital Mogadishu in 2011, allowing the installation of state and federal institutions as well as holding two elections (2012, 2017) and organizing a third. Which is due to be completed in the coming weeks.
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