Somalia: 1 soldier killed in ambush by Al-Shabaab

[Deeq A.]

JOWHAR (Caasimada Online)—Heavily armed Al-Shabaab fighters carried out last night an ambush attack on army checkpoint in Jowhar town, some 91km north of Somali capital Mogadishu.

The attack, triggered heavy clash between the Al Qaeda linked group of Al Shabaab and Somali security forces at the checkpoint, policeman Mohamed Hassan said.

Hassan says the security forces had repulsed the attack orchestrated by Al-Shabaab.

He declined to comment on the exact number of soldiers, who were killed or injured in the surprise attack last night.

In a statement aired by Radio Andulus, an Al-Shabaab mouthpiece said, the group’s ambush assault had killed a soldier and injured another one.

“We have carried out an attack on army checkpoint last night in Jowhar town. We have killed a soldier and another injured”, the group said through its website.

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab extremist group often carries out deadly attacks against Somalia and African Union troops.

The group also carried out bombings in high-profile areas of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, and elsewhere.

The Islamist militant group al-Shabaab, which battled for control of the capital from 2006 on-wards, banned forms of public entertainment like movies and musical ringtones in areas under their sway.

Somalia has been mired in turmoil since warlords toppled dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991, leaving militants, militia groups and clan leaders all fighting for control of parts of the anarchic country.

Caasimada Online

Mogadishu News Desk

Caasimada@live.com