How Al-Shabaab militants ran over AU forces base in Somalia
-
Staff reporter GAROWE ONLINE
- Posted On 05-05-2022, 08:44AM
MOGADISHU, Somalia - The Al-Shabaab militants reverted to the traditional "provocative" method of raiding military bases, before opening fire on their target during the Tuesday morning raid at El-Baraf Forward Operating Base, which hosts Burundi National Defense Forces [BNDF].
Multiple reports indicate the militants used three suicide car bombs outside the military base which exploded before they opened fire at the soldiers who were present at the base. The militants also surrounded the entire base during the fight.
The strategy is used in highly protected areas or military bases which are often ambushed, giving soldiers very limited time to respond. The government of Somalia and the African Union condemned the attack, terming it "cowardly".
A senior Burundian military officer told AFP that at least 30 soldiers were killed while another 22 were badly wounded during the attack, and dozens went missing. Initially, authorities in Burundi said at least 10 were killed and dozens injured.
El-Baraf Forward Operating Base is going about 160 kilometers [100 miles] northeast of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
“There was heavy fighting and casualties inflicted on both sides,” local military commander Mohamed Ali told AFP by phone. “They launched the attack with a car bomb blast before a heavy exchange of gunfire broke out.”
This was the first time Al-Shabaab raided an AU base since the mission changed its name from African Union Mission in Somalia [AMISOM] to African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS]. It's also the first deadly attack on peacekeepers since the attack on the KDF base at Kulbiyow.
While government insiders say the number of soldiers killed was around 30, Al-Shabaab maintains that over 173 soldiers died. The group also released a video showing bodies of what appeared to be slain soldiers lying on the ground, according to the SITE Intelligence Group which monitors extremist groups.
A Burundi official who spoke to the Voice of America [VOA] said that the soldiers had intelligence al-Shabab was gathering in a nearby village about 48 hours prior to the attack. He said the soldiers prepared to defend themselves and dug trenches.
The official said the suicide truck bombs caused most of the casualties.
Further, he said what caught the soldiers by surprise was the enormity of al-Shabab explosives detonated at the camp. He said the militants used three truck bombs, one of which fell into a ditch. He estimated the militants detonated about 20 kilograms of explosives, and that 450 militants overran the camp.
AU Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat said on Twitter he spoke to Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye to pay his respects for the “sacrifice” of the peacekeepers who lost their lives.
On his Twitter handle, Burundi President Evariste Ndayishimiye said there are no words strong enough to condemn the terrorist attack against the Burundian contingent. He wrote, "I join with all of Africa which has just lost sons and daughters … to console the hard-hit families."
A source within the Burundi government told AFP that over 400 militants stormed the base, after blowing up two car bombs before firing indiscriminately. The soldiers managed to retreat to a nearby hill where they engaged the militants in a gunfight, supported by drones and helicopters.
“Al-Shabaab gunmen stormed the camp early morning, there were heavy blasts and exchanges of machinegun fire. The Burundians vacated the camp and entered El-Baraf village before helicopters arrived providing aerial support,” said one witness, local resident Weliyow Maalim.
“The helicopters fired missiles and heavy machine guns, we saw smoke rising over the camp but we don’t know about the situation exactly,” said another witness, Ahmed Adan.
Burundi, Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya are some of the troops contributing nations in the war-torn nation. Somalia has been fighting Al-Shabaab since 2008 and the group has been significantly degraded according to the United Nations.
GAROWE ONLINE
