Al-Shabaab claims 321 Somali troops killed in ambush
MOGADISHU, Somalia – Al-Shabaab said Monday that it had killed hundreds of Somali government soldiers in an ambush, as the Islamist insurgency continues to challenge authorities across the country.
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The Al-Qaeda-linked group has waged a two-decade campaign against the government and continues to hold large areas of central Somalia despite a major international effort to defeat it.
In a statement issued late Monday, Al-Shabaab said it had attacked Turkish-trained government forces and an allied militia in the Lower Shabelle region. The operation, which the group said was backed by Turkish fighter jets, killed 321 troops, according to the SITE Intelligence Group.
The reported death toll could not be independently confirmed, and Somalia’s government had not immediately responded.
Al-Shabaab said the battle near the city of Leego lasted three hours and ended with its fighters capturing prisoners, weapons and vehicles.
Local media reported that the government had convened an emergency cabinet meeting to address what it described as “heavy casualties and substantial military equipment losses during intense fighting with Al-Shabaab militants near Leego”.
Turkey has become an important supporter of Somalia’s government as the United States and other major donors scale back their backing for the country’s counter-insurgency campaign.
Washington has halted funding for the United Nations logistics mission that provides supplies for combat operations in Somalia, saying the government has failed to make progress toward national unity and has not sufficiently countered the insurgent threat.
