Sunday September 10, 2023
The assault started with a vehicle loaded with explosives, followed by a fierce battle between the military forces and the militants. Both sides employed heavy weaponry during the confrontation.
The two sides suffered casualties but, the exact figures remain unknown.On the other hand, the militants carried out another assault, targeting an army base in the Berdale district of the Bay region on Sunday night. The Ministry of Defense confirmed that the security forces managed to eliminate the group's leader and other militants during their resistance against the attack.
"The armed forces, supported by local residents, successfully thwarted an assault by the Khawarij militia in the Berdale district of the Bay region last night," stated the Ministry of Defense on Saturday.
In contrast, the militant group claimed to have seized control of the base from the Somali government forces. Nevertheless, local sources suggest that government forces still maintain control over the army base.
Somalia’s government last year launched what the president called “total war” on al-Shabab, which controls parts of rural central and southern Somalia and makes millions of dollars through “taxation” of residents and extortion of businesses.
