Al-Shabaab suffers worst loss in years to Somali army

Sources tell KON that the SNA chief himself escaped unharmed from a car bomb explosion that was targeted his convoy carrying troops at the Lafole area near Mogadishu while heading to the attacked areas as reinforcement.

News Keydmedia Online
4 April 2021

MOGADISHU, Somalia – The commander-in-chief of the Somali military said on Sunday they have eliminated 100 militants following the deadly attack at two army bases in the Lower Shabelle region on Friday midnight.

"Over 100 terrorists have been killed in Awdhegle alone," said Somali national army [SNA] chief General Odowa Yusuf Rage during an interview with VOA’s Somali service.

Rageh has confirmed that they have lost 14 soldiers, including senior commanders in the gun and car bomb attacks on Barire and Awdhegle, two strategic towns liberated from Al-Shabaab last year.

Sources tell KON that the SNA chief himself escaped unharmed from a car bomb explosion that was targeted his convoy carrying troops at the Lafole area near Mogadishu while heading to the attacked areas as reinforcement.

The latest assault inflicted heavy losses on both sides, sparking fears that Al-Shabaab could be gaining control in Somalia just as the country’s security grows following a decade-long war on terrorism.

Al-Shabaab said it killed 47 soldiers in the battle and took weapons and fighting vehicles from the two key Somali army bases. KON, however, could not independently verify these claims. 

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