...
the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...and troops from the 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...
peacekeeping mission clashed on Sunday, a senior military officer said, while the group said it had killed 39 soldiers.
The incident took place in Bulamareer district in Lower Shabelle region about 140 km southwest of Mogadishu.
The al-Shabaab fighters ambushed a convoy carrying troops from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Col. Hassan Mohammed told Rooters.
"The ambush turned into a fierce fight between al-Shabaab and AMISOM. We understand fighting is still going on but we do not have the figure of casualties," he told Rooters.
Abdiasis Abu Musab, al-Shabaab’s military operation front man, said: "We have in hand 39 dead bodies of AU soldiers including their commander."