Al Qaeda-linked group al-Shabaab stormed a Somali military base in an attempt to recapture a town that it lost to the government in early August, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
Witnesses told the news agency that terrorist fighters invaded the town of Amara on Tuesday morning, with some carrying out a suicide attack on Somali special forces.
“Al-Shabaab militants have launched an attack on a government base in the town of Amara this morning. The government forces … withdrew from the area and al-Shabaab took control of the area,” witness Farah Osman said.
Another witness, Asmail Nur, said the terrorist group captured 11 armored vehicles during the attack, burning seven of them, Reuters reported.
The Somali government took control of Amara from al-Shabaab earlier this month, freeing other towns and villages from the group’s control.
The al-Qaeda-associated terrorist network has been at war with the Somali government, targeting military bases, civilian infrastructures and schools in the region, Reuters reported.
State TV said the country’s army and Darawish forces launched airstrikes in response to the attack, killing several fighters, Reuters noted.