SNA soldiers killed in central Somalia after IED attack

MOGADISHU, Somalia - At least six members of the Somali National Army [SNA] were killed on Wednesday following a landmine explosion in central Somalia, officials said, in an attack which comes barely a week after dozens of soldiers were deployed to the region.

Officials said the soldiers were killed after their vehicle ran over an Improvised Explosive Device [IED] near Bal'ad town within Middle Shebelle where the Al-Shabaab militants have been fighting with the SNA troops for the past one week, as the government moves with speed to control the region.

Three soldiers were critically injured in the incident, which is the latest assault against the military officers within Somalia. The injured officers were airlifted to Mogadishu for specialized treatment according to officials within the Somali National Army [SNA].

According to officials, the troops were heading to Bal'ad town from Basra in pursuit of Al-Shabaab militants and we're clearing the road which is the main supply route from the south to the central part of the country. The Al-Shabaab militants have been targeting aid workers and security forces within the country.

Last week, the Al-Shabaab militants were subjected to an onslaught by members of the SNA who descended Basra village as they ruthlessly arrested and killed the militants. Both parties opened fire against each other but none is yet to confirm the number of casualties after the deadly encounter.

The Somali government is keen to completely eliminate the Al-Shabaab threat in central Somalia, where the militants have been controlling for the last several months. Bal'ad town was liberated from the militants a couple of years ago following an onslaught by SNA and a few foreign soldiers in AMISOM and US Africa Command.

Usually, the militants often target military officials, government officers, and civilians linked to the National Intelligence Security Agency [NISA] which is in the frontline in the fight against Al-Shabaab. The group has killed close to 5000 people within Somalia.

Elsewhere, Al-Shabaab militants fired mortar shells at an airstrip in Dhusamareb, the regional administrative capital of Galmadug on Tuesday night, officials said. However, the attack didn't affect aviation activities within the town, which was recently renamed Samareeb by President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo.

Al-Shabaab militants have flushed from the town a couple of years ago when the Somali National Army [SNA] and the ASWJ militia worked closely to thwart their threat. For years, the militants have often tried to invade the town but their efforts have often been futile.

The Al-Qaida linked group remains a threat to the stability and democratization of Somalia, a country that has struggled with stability for over three decades. The US Africa Command recently said the group remains dangerous to both US and African allies, adding that it will continue working hard to eliminate the terror group.

GAROWE ONLINE