MOGADISHU, (Xinhua) — At least 12 al-Shabab fighters were killed on Monday in fierce fighting in the central region of Mudug, an officer confirmed.
Abdurrahman Ali Dirie, governor of Mudug region said al-Shabab fighters launched an attack on an army base in Ba’ad Weyn town, but the security forces repelled and pushed them back.
“Our forces foiled the militants’ attempt to overrun the base. We killed 12 of them and the army captured some of the attackers alive,” Dirie said, noting that the army is now controlling the base.
However, Al-Qaida allied group al-Shabab claimed victory, saying they briefly captured the base and recovered two combat vehicles from the government forces.
Southern and central regions of Somalia have been the battleground of the clashes between government forces and al-Shabab after the militants were chased out of the capital Mogadishu in August 2011 by the Somali army and African Union forces.
