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| Africa Horn |
| Al-shabab raids AU military base in central Somalia |
| 2017-05-05 |
| [SHABELLENEWS] Heavily armed Al shabaab fighters have launched an attack on a military base belonging to Æthiopian troops serving with African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in Halgan town. The Lions of Islam have engaged a deadly shootout with the AU forces stationed in Halgan, which fell to AMISOM on Wednesday, after Al shabaab pulled out of the town without combat. According to a resident who spoke to Radio Shabelle over the phone, both warring sides have exchanged a heavy and small weaponry, including RPGs during the confrontation. Halgan which lies near Beledweyne city, the regional capital of Hiiraan region has been changing hands between Al shabaab and Æthiopian forces for the past two years. Al shabaab fighters regularly attack bases of AMISOM’s troops, which is made up of about 22,000 soldiers and police from African nations supporting Somalia’s government and army. The Al Qaeda-linked Lions of Islam aim to drive out the African Union peacekeepers, and topple the Western-backed Somali Federal government based in the capital Mogadishu. |
| Posted by:Fred |