The Somali Islamic militant group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the Christmas Day attack, claiming its fighters had killed several African Union soldiers. The African Union has more than 20,000 troops in Somalia in support of the country’s embattled government.
“Our fighters have entered AU’s Halane base by force through the gate and now fighting is going on inside the base,” Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, the Islamist group’s military operation spokesman, told the Reuters news agency.
Later, the Associated Press quoted a spokesman for the AU force, known by its acronym AMISOM, who said at least three militants had entered the base, which is located near Mogadishu’s airport and is protected by a tight security cordon and blast walls. Colonel Ali Aden Houmed said three of them were shot dead, while two blew themselves up near a fuel depot and three others were thought to have escaped.
While confirming that the attack had taken place, Houmed not confirm how many, or even if there had been any casualties among members of the AU force.
Earlier news agencies quoted witnesses near the scene, who reported hearing gunfire and explosions coming from around the AU base, which also houses UN offices as well as the British and Italian embassies.
The UN representative to Somalia, Nicholas Kay used the micro-blogging website Twitter to condemn the attack: “I condemn attack on #Mogadishu airport base. Details still unclear. Credit to #AMISOM defenders. Terrorists will not stop #Somalia rising. – Nick Kay (@Somalia111) December 25, 2014″
Separately, Reuters cited a UN spokesperson, who said all UN staff were safe and accounted for. The AU currently has around 22,000 soldiers in Somalia as part of the force, known by the acronym AMISOM. The first was first deployed to the country in 2007 and in 2011 managed to push al-Shabab out of Mogadishu. ref: DW, AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa
