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Al-Shabaab attack on US drone military base thwarted

September 30, 2019 at 9:05 pm

Photo of a US fighter jet carrying out air strikes over Somalia [World Defence Forum/Facebook]

Al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab militants on Monday stormed the Ballidogle American special forces military base roughly 100 kilometers northwest of Mogadishu using vehicle bombs followed by sporadic gunfire from fighters, according to Somalia’s state media, reports Anadolu Agency.

The attack was fast thwarted by the US forces and the Somali National Army (SNA) troops stationed at the base, it said.

“Today al-Shabaab terrorists conducted a failed attack against SNA base in Lower Shabelle region 70 miles [113 kilometers] North West of Mogadishu,” said the state media, and added: “Although al-Shabaab expended many resources while carrying out this attack, it was ultimately unsuccessful due to the vigilance and quick action of SNA”.

“Soldiers stationed at the military base were able to avoid any injury,” and successfully repel the attack in less than 10 minutes,” said Somali National Television.

READ: US air strike kills 20 Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia

The exchange resulted in multiple al-Shabaab fighters losing their life,” it added.

The militants used two vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices stashed in trucks, a senior military official from Lower Shabelle region told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.

Following the attack, al-Shabaab released a statement claiming responsibility for the attack by its elite martyrdom forces.

The militant group claimed it had killed 100 soldiers and destroyed 5 military aircraft at the US military base which is the largest in the Horn of Africa country.

READ: US halts reporting of civilian deaths by drone outside war zones