Somalia: Military convoy targeted in roadside bomb attack in Lower Shabelle

MOGADISHU, Somalia- A roadside bomb blast was reported to have ripped though a military convoy carrying African Union peacekeepers in southern Somalia on Sunday, Garowe Online reports.

A resident said that landmine has struck AMISOM convoy traveling near Lanta-Buro in Lower Shabelle region. "We heard gunfire following an IED explosion near Lanta-Buro. We don’t know the exact casualties from the attack," said the resident.

In the aftermath of the bomb, Burundian soldiers serving with African Union Mission in Somalia have exchanged gunfire with armed militants in the area, added the source.

There were reports of casualties on both sides as a result of Sunday's attack near Lanta Buro area which links Afgoye town to the coastal town of Marka in Lower Shabelle region.

The area is considered a high security risk due to sporadic clashes between AU troops and Islamist insurgency Al Shabaab fighters in the past months. However, officials from the Somali government and AMISOM are yet to comment on the attack against the AU forces.

Al Qaida-affiliated Al Shabaab group has stepped up its attacks against security forces, government officials and allied forces in an attempt to topple western-backed Somali Federal government in Mogadishu.

GAROWEONLINE