Hiiraan Online
Tuesday April 3, 2018
Mogadishu (HOL) - Sixty-six Al-Shabaab militants have been killed and three vehicles including Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive device (VBIED) were destroyed following simultaneous attacks on bases of AU and Somali forces Bulamarer town, Somali military confirmed.
Heavily armed militants on Sunday launched attacks on three Forward Operating Bases of AMISOM and SNA barracks in Qoryoley, Bulamarer and Golwein towns in Lower Shabelle region, leading hours of fierce fighting.
Somali Military Force Commander, Abdullahi Ali Anod said Somali and AMISOM forces eliminated sizable of a number of the attackers during the battle in Bulamarer town.
"Our forces killed 66 of the terrorists who attacked Bulamarer town and an unknown number of them were wounded during the battle," said Anod.
The commander said three vehicles which ferried militants including VBIED were destroyed.
"They were transported by three vehicles. One of them was which loaded with explosives came close to our base before it was detonated by the guards at our camp, the others were also destroyed," he explained.
Anod pointed out that an assortment of weapons were recovered from the defeated militants.
" The 26th Brigade of the Army recovered 12 AK47 rifles, 20 Rocket Propelled Guns (RPGs) and a submachine gun, the plans of the terrorists were dismantled," he said.
Anod noted that four of Somali forces were injured during the attack.
The commander's briefing comes on the heel of AMISOM's report on Al-Shabaab's attack on its bases in Lower Shabelle region.
The Mission said its forces killed thirty terrorists and recovered the cache of weapons from the militants.
Despite the reports by Somali and AMISOM officials, the militants also reported different figures of which they 59 AMISOM soldiers and 14 terrorists were killed during the battle.
Ahmed Mohamed
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