Al-Qaeda-aligned Al-Shabaab militants on Saturday stormed army base in the town of Masagaway in central Somalia’s Galgadud region, rebel spokesman and Somali military officials said.
In a statement, Al-Shabaab’s military spokesman Abu Musab said they had captured an army base in Masagaway following a dawn attack, adding that their fighters captured weapons and military vehicles. He stressed that a number of government troops were killed, but gave no further details.
Local media reported that well-known pro-government traditional leaders related to Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who had been dispatched to mobilize clan militias, were among the people killed in the militant attack.
Somali army officials told media that troops had repelled the morning attack.
It came days after militants said they had overrun a military camp in the nearby town of Budbud, which fell to the hands of government troops days earlier during an offensive by Somali security forces.
