|
The Defense Ministry said its troops killed about 75 militants
and wounded 56 during hours of fighting. Al-Shabab claimed it
killed 321 soldiers and captured prisoners and military
equipment.
The casualty figures and claims of captured soldiers and
equipment could not be independently verified.
Abshir Abdikarim, a military officer traveling with the convoy,
told The Associated Press by phone late Tuesday that he saw at
least 20 of his fellow soldiers dead after the attack. He said
troops had advanced from Leego into Jameeca, in Burhakaba
district in the Bay region, where they exchanged heavy gunfire
with militants.
Some soldiers previously reported missing reached Baledogle on
Tuesday, he said, while others remained unaccounted for.
The ministry described the confrontation as an assault on
militant positions. Al-Shabab said its fighters ambushed a
convoy advancing into territory under its control.
The ministry said militants used explosives-laden vehicles to
attack army vehicles, damaging some of them. It did not specify
how many were damaged or address the claims that soldiers had
been captured.
Al-Shabab said it seized Turkish-supplied armored vehicles,
armed pickup trucks, supply trucks, weapons and ammunition.
African Union troops pushed al-Shabab out of Mogadishu in 2011,
but the group adapted through guerrilla warfare, suicide
bombings and targeted assassinations.
Somali authorities have reported territorial gains during a
U.S.-backed military campaign, although access restrictions have
made those claims difficult to verify independently. The
militants have retained the ability to operate across large
areas of central and southern Somalia.
The fighting comes amid a separate struggle for control of South
West state. Government troops last month clashed near Baidoa
with militias loyal to former regional President Abdiaziz Hassan
Mohamed Laftagareen, who resigned after federal forces seized
the city in March.
The Defense Ministry said government forces would continue to
target al-Shabab positions and disrupt efforts by its fighters
to regroup.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights
reserved |
|
