SNA forces retain key base after repulsing Al-shabaab attack

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: The Somalia National Army (SNA) forces Sunday repulsed an al-Shabab attack on a key military base in the southern Lower Shabelle region.

According to official government reports, hundreds of militants attacked government forces at Awdhegle town on the bank of the Shabelle River.

The government forces engaged the militants in a fierce fight and managed to repulse them, killing at least 60 militants and capturing an assortment of military equipment which was abandoned by the fleeing militants.

The governor of the region, Mohamed Ibrahim Barre, said that the militants used explosives in attacking the base.

“They attacked the town from two directions – the north and west,” he said.

“The fighting lasted for almost two hours.”

Awdhegle is a strategic town where government forces protect a key bridge that officials say is key to preventing the smuggling of al-Shabab vehicles carrying explosives into the capital, Mogadishu.