Soldiers missing after Al-Shabaab attack in Somalia

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Several members of the Somali National Army (SNA) are said to be missing following an Al-Shabaab attack in downtown Mogadishu on Saturday, the second raid within the Somalia capital in as many days.

Some reports suggested of dawn al-Shabaab attack on a government base in the vicinity of Busley, near Dhanaane, south of Mogadishu. Significant casualties were reported as a result of the early Saturday morning attack, according to government officials.

The base was reportedly manned by different units from the military, military police, and other special security forces. This was the second attack within Mogadishu after Al-Shabaab raided SYL Hotel in the capital last week, killing at least five people.

The complex terror attack killed dozens, including senior Military Officer Liban Golcad, according to SNA sources. Besides the missing soldiers, military vehicles were destroyed, with the Al-Shabaab taking responsibility for the morning attack.

The al-Shabaab militant group in a statement claimed to have killed “more than 57” soldiers, a figure that has not been independently verified. It is not clear whether the missing soldiers were killed or were abducted the the militants who usually ask for ransom.

Security teams have been mobilized in Somalia to search for the missing soldiers, with Al-Shabaab, still mum over the latest developments. The elite soldiers man Mogadishu, a city that has been experiencing relative calmness in the last several months.

The al-Shabaab is under surveillance by the Somali National Army, the US Africa Command, and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). In return, Al-Shabaab has been targeting security teams in their areas of operations, waging deadly attacks in the process.

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had declared war against al-Shabaab and projected that the militants would be subdued by the end of this year. Already, many ATMIS soldiers have started withdrawing from Somalia in compliance with the Somali Transition Plan.

GAROWE ONLINE