Wednesday, May 28, 2014
FILE - Somali government soldier runs to take position in front of the Parliament during fighting between them and al-Shabab militia in the capital Mogadishu, May 24, 2014.
Nearly 40 people are dead after al-Shabab militants attacked a village on the border between Ethiopia and Somalia.
The governor of Somalia's Bakool region, Mohamed Abdi Tall, told VOA that the Islamist militant group raided the village of Aato early Tuesday.
He said 27 pro-government militiamen and 12 al-Shabab fighters were killed in the ensuing clash.
Afterward, the town remained in control of the militias, who have been working with governments on both sides of the border
Al-Qaida-linked Al-Shabab has lost most of the territory it once controlled in Somalia but remains a threat to the country's African Union-backed government.
On Saturday, al-Shabab fighters stormed Somalia's parliament building in Mogadishu, killing 10 security personnel and wounding four lawmakers. Eight militants were also killed.
In February, al-Shabab attacked the presidential palace. The president was unharmed but at least 17 other people were killed.