Somalia
Al Shabaab militants captured a town in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region on Thursday, a senior official said, and the group said it had killed at least 61 soldiers in the fighting.
“Al Shabaab attacked Af Urur town this morning. There were few soldiers there and thus al Shabaab captured the town. It is difficult to know the casualties because the telecommunications were cut off,” Bari region governor Yusuf Mohamed told Reuters.
The al Qaeda-linked group said it had also killed 61 soldiers after over-running a military base in the town.
“The number could rise since the operation is still underway,” Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military spokesman said in a statement.
Musab said their fighters had also seized weapons and vehicles from the base.
Al Shabaab’s insurgency aims to drive out African Union peacekeepers, topple Somalia’s Western-backed government and impose its strict version of Islam on the Horn of Africa state.
REUTERS
Go to video
Families grapple with life in the wake of the Israel-Iran Conflict
Go to video
Over 40 killed in attack on Sudanese hospital: WHO Chief condemns “Appalling” strike
01:07
At least 120 children abducted by Al Shabab in northern Mozambique, HRW says
01:15
Kenya court sentences two to jail terms for aiding 2019 hotel attackk
01:39
Family of Kenyan man shot at close range by police demands accountability
01:56
Sudan war fuelled by external arms flow to the country