By Mohamed Omar Mulla
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Soldiers in Somalia’s Puntland region are battling Islamist militants in a coastal village, with many people killed and injured, the semi-autonomous government said.
Clashes began early Wednesday when al-Shabaab fighters raided Suuj, Information Minister Mohamoud Hassan told reporters in the regional capital, Garowe. He declined to give any details on casualties.
Puntland has avoided most of the violence carried out by al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked group that’s waged an insurgency in Somalia since 2006. Earlier this week, the group briefly held another port town before withdrawing and government forces to regained control.