Seven soldiers killed in al-Shabab attack on Somali military base
Al JazeeraGovernment forces and allied clan militias recaptured the base from al-Shabab in October. Fighters from the al-Shabab group stormed a military base in central Somalia that the government had recaptured from them last year, killing at least seven soldiers, including the base commander, an officer said. “We repelled al-Shabab lost seven soldiers, including our commander,” Nur told Reuters. The base is located about 60km north of the capital, Mogadishu, and was wrested from al-Shabab’s control in October by government forces and allied clan militias. In some regions, residents said al-Shabab’s tactics – including torching houses, destroying wells and killing civilians, combined with demands for taxes during the worst drought in 40 years – has pushed locals to form paramilitary groups to fight alongside the government.