Al-Qaeda-aligned militant group Al-Shabaab launched a dawn attack on army camp near the central Somalia town of Baladweyne on Friday, the second of its kind to target Somali troops within a week amid ongoing operations against insurgents.
Militants rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into the military camp in Burdaan village on the outskirts of Baladweyne before heavy gun battle. Al-Shabaab fighters overran the base after Turkish-trained Somali troops manning it withdrew , according to Dalsan TV.
Al-Shabaab said it had killed 31 soldiers in the attack and captured weapons and 9 military vehicles.
Somali Defense Ministry spokesman Abdullahi Ali Anod said troops had repulsed the assault and killed 12 militants. Three soldiers wounded as a result of the gunfight, he added.
Garowe Online news outlet shared on twitter the pictures of three Gorgor special forces it said were killed in the militant assault, identifying them as Salah Hussein, Feysal Ali Muhammad and Ahmednur Hassan Adde.