Heavily armed al-Shabab fighters have stormed a military base in Somalia's semiautonomous state of Puntland, killing close to 70 people and wounding dozens more, officials say.

The attack began with a blast at the remote Af-Urur camp, about 100km west of the commercial hub of Bossaso, before the fighters overran the base and killed soldiers at close range, said Ahmed Mohamed, a senior military official.

Close to 70 people were killed, though an exact death toll was not yet available, Mohamed said.

Abdi Hersi Ali, Puntland's interior minister, said troops suffered casualties but he declined to give further details.

Officials called it the region's deadliest attack in years, highlighting the dual challenges facing security forces from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab and the growing presence of fighters linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

"The situation is grim over there. This attack was an unexpected one," Mohamed said.

The armed fighters, including suicide bombers, reportedly attacked the base from three directions, forcing soldiers to retreat.

Colonel Hashi Ahmed, a senior military official, told the Associated Press news agency that reinforcement troops reached the area and drove the fighters out of the camp. He estimated that at least 100 fighters were involved in the attack.

READ MORE: Farmajo calls for arms embargo end to defeat al-Shabab

Al-Shabab claimed to have killed at least 61 soldiers. They also seized a large amount of weapons and ammunition and more than a dozen military vehicles in the assault.

Puntland in northern Somalia also faces a growing threat from ISIL-linked fighters who have split from al-Shabab.

The assault came days after Puntland sentenced to death five al-Shabab members who were arrested as they drove a vehicle carrying three barrels packed with explosives into Bosaso, Puntland's capital, on April 26.

Al-Shabab, which is fighting to overthrow the internationally recognised Somali government, has launched a series of deadly incursions in neighbouring Kenya, which has contributed troops to the Somalia-based African Union peacekeeping force.</s>Al-Qaeda’s allies in Somalia, al-Shabaab, killed up to 70 soldiers and civilians during an assault on a military base in the semi-autonomous region of Puntland on Thursday.

The Washington Post describes the attack as “rare in its brutality” for including a number of beheadings. Estimates from the Somali military range as low as 20 casualties, while al-Shabaab itself claims 61 kills through its media arm, the Shahada News Agency. The extremists also claimed they were able to loot weapons, ammunition, and military vehicles from the base.

The base that came under attack was staffed by soldiers of a paramilitary group called the Puntland Dervish Force. Al-Shabaab has been increasingly active in Puntland because it desires access to the sea, Puntland is seen as vulnerable, and the Islamic State is trying to get a rival extremist group started in the area. Both al-Shabaab and the nascent Islamic State faction have called for increased violence during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“Thursday’s attack plays into fears that al-Shabaab will expand its militancy during the holy month of Ramadan. The attacks often prevent aid organizations from going about their work,” the Washington Post observes.

“The situation is grim over there. This attack was an unexpected one,” a Somali military official told the UK Guardian.

According to the Guardian’s account of the battle, al-Shabaab launched the attack with a car bomb, then overran the base with fighters pouring in from three directions, wearing uniforms very similar to those of the Puntland Dervish Force, doubtless causing much confusion. Another military officer said many of the soldiers in the base were sleeping when the attack began.

“What happened today was a massacre – they killed many civilians. This afternoon I have seen dead bodies of those killed. I have seen four headless women, bodies slaughtered by al-Shabaab in one place. They killed every person they saw, even children,” testified a civilian eyewitness.

The Associated Press notes that Somali-American President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has pledged to defeat al-Shabaab within two years, provided the United Nations lifts arms embargos against his country so his military forces can become better armed.</s>Up to 70 people feared dead after Islamist militants storm Puntland army camp in one of deadliest attacks on security forces

Hundreds of fighters from al-Shabaab, the Islamist militant group that controls parts of Somalia, have stormed an army base, killing up to 70 people and wounding dozens more.



Residents said some civilians were beheaded during the attack on the remote Af-Urur camp, in Somalia’s semi-autonomous northern state of Puntland. 

The attack, one of the deadliest to target Somali security forces for several years, underlines the continuing strength of al-Shabaab, an al-Qaida affiliate.</s>BOSASO, Somalia, June 8 (Reuters) - Al Shabaab militants killed 38 people, mostly soldiers, in an attack on a military base in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region on Thursday, an army officer said.

The killings took place when the Islamists attacked and took over the town of Af Urur.

"Now we confirm 38 people, mostly soldiers, died and 18 others were wounded. I believe some were captured alive and taken away," Major Mohamed Abdi, a Puntland military officer, told Reuters.

"Numerous, heavily armed al Shabaab fighters attacked us from every direction and after hours of fierce battle I was among those who ran for their lives."

Bari regional Governor Yusuf Mohamed told Reuters the Puntland military had recaptured the town.

The assault came days after Puntland sentenced to death five al Shabaab members arrested on April 26 as they drove a vehicle carrying barrels packed with explosives into Bosaso, Puntland's capital.

Af Urur lies about 100 km (60 miles) south of Bosaso, near the Galgala hills, an area controlled by al Shabaab. Its fighters have attacked and captured the town several times.

"Al Shabaab fighters killed local residents of the town including elders, women and children. It is the norm of al Shabaab to kill civilians when they are defeated," a statement from the Puntland president's office said.

"Al Shabaab will regret killing civilians. We shall eliminate the fighters who hide in Puntland areas."

The al Qaeda-linked Islamist group said it had killed 61 soldiers after overrunning the military base. The numbers given by officials and al Shabaab often differ.

Abdiasis Abu Musab, a spokesman for al Shabaab, said the military had not recaptured Af Urur by force. "We just left it peacefully after killing 61 soldiers and capturing 16 military cars," he said.

Al Shabaab more often launches attacks on the capital Mogadishu and other regions controlled by Somalia's federal government. It aims to drive out African Union peacekeepers, topple the Western-backed government and impose its strict version of Islam.

Attacks are comparatively rare in Puntland, where the security forces are relatively regularly paid and receive substantial U.S. assistance.

The region is also home to a splinter group of al Shabaab that has sworn allegiance to Islamic State. Security sources say a small contingent of foreigners is there as well. (Additional reporting by Feisal Omar in Mogadishu; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Andrew Roche)</s>Heavily armed Al-Shabaab militants have stormed a military base in Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland, killing close to 70 people and wounding dozens more, officials said Thursday. Residents said civilians, including women, were beheaded during the rampage. Officials called it the region’s deadliest attack in years, highlighting the twin challenges facing security forces from the Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab and the growing presence of fighters linked to the militant Islamic State group. The attack began with a blast at the remote Af-Urur camp, roughly 100 kilometres west of the commercial hub of Bossaso.—AP</s>Al Shabaab militants killed 20 soldiers in an attack on a military base in Af Urur, a town in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region on Thursday, an army officer said. Puntland military retook the town, which Bari region Governor Yusuf Mohamed told Reuters earlier on Thursday had been attacked by the al Shabaab fighters.

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Star Online.</s>The fighters “killed every person they saw, even children,” Hashi Muse, a local farmer who witnessed the attack, told The Guardian. Other witnesses reported that al-Shabaab beheaded civilians while donning uniforms that resembled those of local security forces. According to Yasin Nur Mohamed, a Somali military officer, the fighters chanted “God is great!” as they approached the military base. “They caught my fellow soldiers off-guard,” Mohamed told The Guardian. “We did not expect such a big assault on our base.” He added that many of his fellow soldiers were asleep at the time of the attack, which took place at dawn.

An estimated 70 people, both soldiers and civilians, were killed Thursday after hundreds of fighters from al-Shabaab, an Islamist militant group affiliated with al-Qaida, attacked a military base in Somalia. A senior military official said the incident began with an explosion, after which fighters stormed the Somali base in Puntland, a semiautonomous state in the northeast, from three different directions. In addition to numerous casualties, dozens were wounded, and around 40 injured soldiers were brought to the local hospital in Armo.

On Thursday, al-Shabaab released a statement saying they had killed “about 60” soldiers, in addition to seizing weapons, ammunition, and more than a dozen Somali military vehicles. “This was a huge defeat of the western-trained soldiers in Somalia,” the group said, referring to the various U.S., UK, and Turkish forces that have trained Somali troops to fight al-Shabaab militants. In April, President Trump approved the deployment of a dozen U.S. troops to Somalia for this very purpose. American troops were previously pulled from the area in 1994 following the death of 18 soldiers in the Battle of Mogadishu (later the subject of the 2001 film Black Hawk Down). In an effort to fulfill his mission of cracking down on terrorist organizations, Trump also sanctioned additional airstrikes targeting al-Shabaab.

Somalia’s new president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, shares Trump’s desire to eradicate the extremist group. In April, Mohamed referred to his own nation as a war zone and gave al-Shabaab fighters 60 days to lay down their arms in exchange for education and jobs. “We shall welcome them with open arms,” Mohamed said, while commissioning an offensive that included new military, intelligence, and police chiefs. Al-Shabaab has since disregarded the new president’s message, calling him an “apostate.” The group continues to wage attacks and bombings on Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, and other areas in east Africa. Thursday’s attack on the Somali base in Puntland portends to be one of the deadliest in years.</s>Somali Town taken over by Al Shabaab Militants

Al-Shabaab militants captured a town in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region on Thursday, a senior official said. While the group said it had killed at least 61 soldiers in the fighting, the military confirmed that Al-Shabaab killed 20. “It was heavy fighting. We lost 20 soldiers and 14 of our military cars were burnt. “We have …

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Also, Like us on facebook</s>BOSASO, Somalia - Al Shabaab militants killed 20 soldiers in an attack on a military base in Af Urur, a town in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region on Thursday, an army officer said.

Puntland military retook the town, which Bari region Governor Yusuf Mohamed told Reuters earlier on Thursday had been attacked by the al Shabaab fighters.

“It was heavy fighting. We lost 20 soldiers and 14 of our military cars were burnt. We have now retaken the town,” Major Mohamed Abdi, a Puntland military officer, told Reuters by phone.

The assault came days after Puntland sentenced to death five al Shabaab members who were arrested as they drove a vehicle carrying three barrels packed with explosives into Bosaso, Puntland’s capital, on April 26. Af Urur lies about 100 km (60 miles) south of Bosaso, near the Galgala hills, an area controlled by al Shabaab. It fighters have attacked and captured the town several times.

The al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab said it had killed 61 soldiers after overrunning the military base. The numbers given by officials and al Shabaab often differ.

“They have not retaken the town, but we just left it peacefully after killing 61 soldiers and capturing 16 military cars,” said Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operation spokesman.

Al Shabaab regularly launches attacks in Somalia, but tends to focus on the capital Mogadishu and other regions controlled by the federal government. It aims to drive out African Union peacekeepers, topple Somalia’s Western-backed government and impose its strict version of Islam on the Horn of Africa state.

Attacks are comparatively rare in Puntland, where the security forces are relatively regularly paid and receive substantial US assistance.

The region is also home to a splinter group of al Shabaab that has sworn allegiance to Islamic State. Security sources say a small contingent of foreigners is there as well.</s>Al Shabaab militants captured a town in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region on Thursday, a senior official said, and the group said it had killed at least 61 soldiers in the fighting.

"Al Shabaab attacked Af Urur town this morning. There were few soldiers there and thus al Shabaab captured the town. It is difficult to know the casualties because the telecommunications were cut off," Bari region governor Yusuf Mohamed told Reuters.

The al Qaeda-linked group said it had also killed 61 soldiers after over-running a military base in the town.

"The number could rise since the operation is still underway," Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military spokesman said in a statement.

Musab said their fighters had also seized weapons and vehicles from the base.

Al Shabaab's insurgency aims to drive out African Union peacekeepers, topple Somalia's Western-backed government and impose its strict version of Islam on the Horn of Africa state.
Al-Shabaab militants storm a military base in Puntland. The subsequent battle with the Somali military leaves at least 70 people dead. Somali officials called the attack the deadliest in the country in years.