MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Heavy fighting broke out near the town of Dhusamareb in central Somalia on Sunday morning after militants ambushed government troops on a patrol, military officials said.
Fighters of the Al-Qaeda-aligned militant group Al-Shabaab attacked Galmudug regional forces and Somali government troops near the village of Tula-Hayow, triggering fierce gun battle which lasted over an hour, residents said.
Troops make routine patrols in the area to prevent militant assaults on an airstrip in the nearby town of Dhusamareb, the administrative capital of Galmudug administration.
Somali military officials claimed that 10 Islamist fighters had been killed and only 1 soldier had been lost in the battle.
Al-Shabaab, in a statement on affiliated media, said it had killed 8 soldiers and a commander in the attack.
The fighting came days after militants captured a village 16 km from the town of Guriel, where it had been driven out by allied Ethiopian troops and Sufi militias more than a decade ago.
Last week, Al-Shabaab had launched a car bomb and gun attack on the town of Wisil under the control of Galmudug regional administration, killing more than 30 people, including soldiers and clan militias who reinforced government troops to repel the assault.
Contact us: info@somaliguardian.com
