Bomb and Gun attacks hit a key town near Somali capital

Over eight years after taking control of Afgoye town from Al-Shabaab, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in March last year handed over control of Afgoye military base to the Somali National Army (SNA).

News Keydmedia Online
30 May 2022

AFGOYE, Somalia - At least three people have been killed and several others were injured in a gun and landmine attack in the Afgoye district, about 30km northwest of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia in the past 24 hours.

The first attack took place at midnight last night after Al-Shabaab fighters tried to enter a Somali military base on a river bridge, the city's First Line of Defense, according to the residents.

Hours of heavy fighting broke out at the base on the outskirts of the city, with government forces managing to repel the terrorists aimed to overrun their outpost and kill all soldiers asleep.

In the early hours of the morning, a landmine exploded in the district during the rush hours, targeting a vehicle carrying the former deputy DC on security affairs, Hussein Jibril, who was injured.

The security in the town on the road that connects the capital to the Lower Shabelle region has been deteriorating in recent months after African Union forces withdrew from their base in 2021.

Over eight years after taking control of Afgoye town from Al-Shabaab, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in March last year handed over control of Afgoye military base to the Somali National Army (SNA).

The handover was in line with the Somalia Transition Plan, which is a comprehensive guide developed by the Federal Government of Somalia and its partners for the transfer of security responsibility from AMISOM to Somalia’s national security forces.

AMISOM's mandate ended in March 2022, and the AU mission's name was changed to ATMIS - AU transition Mission in Somalia which will prepare the Somali army to take over full charge of the national security before they withdraw in 2024.

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