Details Emerge On The Al-Shabaab Attack On UPDF In Somalia

Posted by: Eninu William in Uganda news May 27, 2023

Details have emerged of the Islamist al-Shabab fighters attack on an African Union (AU) military base in Somalia on Friday. A spokesperson for the force said, adding that there were heavy casualties on both sides.

“There was an attack this morning at our base… by elements of al-Shabab,” the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) deputy spokesman Deo Akiiki said.

The army base is located in Bulo Marer, 120 kilometers (75 miles) southwest of the capital Mogadishu.

“ATMIS forces are currently assessing the security situation,” the AU force, known as the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS), said in a statement, without giving further details.

Al-Shabab claimed in a statement that it carried out suicide bomb attacks and killed 137 soldiers.

However, a Somali military captain told Reuters news agency that the militants attacked two bases. He said this prompted a fierce battle for hours. All groups, including al-Shabab, suffered heavy casualties.

Another military commander told Agence France-Presse that the attack began when “a suicide bomber drove a vehicle with explosives targeting the ATMIS base.”

Local residents said they woke up to the sound of huge explosions and heavy weapons.

“Now we see al-Shabab in the town. We cannot know how many died. We are not hearing any shots from ATMIS and government now,” local resident Rukia Farah said.

The al-Qaida-linked jihadist group seeks to establish its own rule. This is based on its strict interpretation of Islamic law in the fragile Horn of Africa country.

In recent months, the army and militias have retaken swathes of territory in the center of the troubled country in an operation backed by ATMIS and US airstrikes. The 20,000-strong ATMIS force has a more offensive remit than its predecessor known as AMISOM.

The force is drawn from Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya, with troops deployed in southern and central Somalia. Its goal is to hand over security responsibilities to Somalia’s army and police by 2024.

Despite the gains by ATMIS and other pro-government forces, the militants have continued to strike with lethal force against civilian and military targets.

In the deadliest al-Shabab attack since the offensive was launched last year, 121 people were killed in October by two car bombings at the Education Ministry in Mogadishu.

The United Nations chief Antonio Guterres said in February that 2022 was the deadliest year for civilians in Somalia since 2017. This is largely as a result of al-Shabab attacks.

mm/sri (AFP, Reuters)

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