This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/islamic-extremists-attack-african-union-base-in-somalia/2016/01/15/23d1af02-bb52-11e5-85cd-5ad59bc19432_story.html

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Islamic extremists attack African Union base in Somalia Somali extremists: Dozens of Kenyan peacekeepers killed
(about 2 hours later)
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Heavily armed fighters from the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab attacked a base for African Union peacekeepers in southwestern Somalia on Friday, blasting their way into the compound and exchanging fire with peacekeepers, a Somali military official said. MOGADISHU, Somalia — Islamic extremist rebels in Somalia say they have killed dozens of Kenyan troops in an attack on an African Union base in southwestern Somalia.
Dozens of al-Shabab fighters started a complex attack on the military base which is run by Kenyan troops who are part of the African Union force in the town of El-Ade, not far from the Kenyan border, Ahmed Hassan told The Associated Press by phone from Elwak, a town near the scene of the latest attack. Al-Shabab military spokesman Abdiaziz Abu Mudan told the group’s online radio that at least 63 soldiers had been killed in the attack, which started early Friday.
The attack started with a suicide car bomb, and then heavy gunfire was heard as militants stormed into the base, he said. But the Kenyan military said in a statement that the rebels had attacked Somali government soldiers who were stationed near the African Union base run by the Kenyan contingent. The statement also said that the Kenyans had then helped the Somalis to launch a counter-attack against the rebels and fighting is ongoing.
Fighting is still going on inside the base, he said. He had no details about any casualties. That statement said the casualty toll is unknown.
Al-Shabab reported on its online radio that its fighters had managed to penetrate the base and were fighting African Union troops.
Despite being pushed out of Somalia’s major cities and towns, al-Shabab continues to launch deadly guerrilla attacks across the Horn of Africa country.
The group, which has ties with al-Qaida, has also carried out many deadly attacks inside Kenya.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.