Dozens of Somali Soldiers Killed in Battle With al Shabaab, Soldiers Say; Defence Ministry Claims 75 Militants Dead
Dozens of Somali soldiers were killed in a major battle with al Shabaab in southern Somalia, two soldiers told Reuters on October 27, while the defence ministry said government forces killed about 75 militants.
The fighting took place in the Jameeco area of Buurhakaba district in the Bay region. Somalia's defence ministry said about 75 militants were killed and another 56 were wounded, and that the militants had attacked the national army using vehicles packed with explosives, damaging some army vehicles. The statement did not say how many soldiers were killed or wounded.
One of the soldiers, who gave his name as Ahmed, said he had helped transport 40 dead soldiers and more than 100 wounded to hospitals in the capital Mogadishu. Another soldier called Farah said al Shabaab car bombs had ruined five military vehicles and estimated that dozens of soldiers were killed in the explosions.
Al Shabaab has waged a nearly two-decade-long insurgency in the Horn of Africa country, seeking to establish its own rule based on its strict interpretation of Sharia law. Somalia has endured conflict and clan battles with no strong central government since the fall of autocratic ruler Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：索马里总统哈桑·谢赫·马哈茂德抵达巴莱多格莱（Baledogle）军用机场，索马里国民军军官随行（资料图）。照片：美国军方 DVIDS 发布，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。/ Photo: Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud arrives at Baledogle Military Airfield with Somali National Army officers (file photo). U.S. military photo via DVIDS, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
