MOGADISHU – Somali Islamist group Al Shabaab released this week a video of Friday, 2nd March ambush on African Union peacekeeping force’ armored personnel carrier with supplies.
The attack took place near Bal’ad town, some 30km north of Somali capital Mogadishu.
The hour-long video starts with a familiar rhetoric equating themselves with former freedom fighters.
The ambush attack carried out by heavily armed group’s fighters as the Al Shabaab claimed to have killed 27 Burundian soldiers with African Union in Somalia.
The group’s fighters also destroyed 16 logistics and transportation truck vehicles while heading to Jowhar town, about 91km north of Somali capital, the group’s statement said.
The hour-long video shows the armed militants chasing number of Burundian peacekeepers and then, moved into in the parts of the town, where the Al Shabaab fighters also fought against Somali army forces and African Union soldiers.
This new video released by #AlShebaab. The group says it was March 2 attack on #Burundian troops’ convoy near Bal’ad, some 30km north of #Mogadishu. The group says it killed over 20 soldiers, but #Burundi‘s military denies claims, saying 5 soldiers were only killed. #Somalia pic.twitter.com/4kEZnSRWZx
— Live From Mogadishu (@Mogadishu_News) November 13, 2018
Burundi’s statement relating to the attack
Burundi’s first vice president, Gaston Sindimwo says it lost at least five Burundi soldiers, serving with the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in the ambush attack.
Sindimwo called claims by Al Shabaab as ‘exaggerated one’
Somali military officials said the Burundians were ambushed by heavily armed al-Shabab militants who were heading to attack Balad on Friday morning.
The insurgents later voluntarily withdrew as government soldiers and African Union troops re-captured near the town.
A 22,000-strong African Union force is in the country to help the government in fighting against the al-Qaeda-linked militants.
The Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab group has been driven out of many urban areas since 2011, however, it still controls territory in rural areas and carries out gun attacks and bombings on military and civilian targets in the war-ravaged nation.
