Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: Just a day after the authorities proclaimed a historic victory after capturing a strategic coastal town, Al Shabaab militants on Tuesday stormed a military base north of the Somali capital Mogadishu.
The death toll during the attack on the military camp in the town of Hawadley was unclear amid conflicting reports.
Somalia army chief Odowaa Yusuf Rage said that a senior officer along with four other soldiers had been killed.
However, a tribal or clan militia commander near the town said 11 soldiers had been killed.
According to security officials and witnesses, at the beginning of the assault car packed with explosives was detonated, following which, gunmen stormed the facility. The camp is approximately 60 kilometers north of the capital Mogadishu.
Al-Shabaab, which is allied to Al Qaeda in Somalia and controls large swathes of the countryside, claimed responsibility for the attack through its communication outlets.
Army had retaken military camp near capital last year
In October 2022, the Hawadley camp had been recaptured by the Somali National Army (SNA) along with allied tribal or clan militias in a fresh push against the militants.
Earlier on Monday, the Somali government announced a historic victory over Al Shabaab militant group after the army took control of Haradhere without having to fight. The city is strategically located in the central Galmudug state.
