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| Somalia: Al-Shabab militants attack African Union base | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Al-Shabab militants have launched an attack on the main African Union military base near Mogadishu airport in Somalia. | Al-Shabab militants have launched an attack on the main African Union military base near Mogadishu airport in Somalia. |
| Explosions and gunfire could be heard in the vicinity, AU spokesman Col Ali Houmed told AFP. | |
| Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack and says its fighters are inside the base. | Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack and says its fighters are inside the base. |
| The African Union has over 20,000 troops in the country to help the weak government battle al-Shabab. | The African Union has over 20,000 troops in the country to help the weak government battle al-Shabab. |
| Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al-Shabab's military spokesman, said that fighters had breached the compound's defences. | |
| "Our fighters have entered AU's Halane base by force through the gate and now fighting is going on inside the base," he said. | |
| The AU base is on the edge of the compound of Mogadishu's international airport. | |
| The base also hosts the British and Italian embassies and is used as the headquarters for United Nations operations in Somalia. | |
| Aleem Siddique, a UN spokesman in Somalia, told Reuters news agency that all UN staff were safe. | |
| Earlier in December, at least six people were killed when al-Shabab attacked a UN convoy near the airport. | |
| Various armed groups have been battling for control of Somalia since the overthrow of President Siad Barre in 1991. |