Heavy fight erupted again between Al-Qaeda linked Al Shabaab and Islamic State fighters earlier on Monday in Bari region of Somalia.
Reports from local sources indicate that the fight erupted when armed Al-Shabaab militants launched ambush attack on Islamic State targets in Mirale area, about 70 kilometers, north of Bosaso town.
The reports say the fighting lasted for an hour as heavy weaponries could be heard through Mirale. It is unclear how many were killed in the latest fighting.
The clash comes after Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab militants shot dead a pro-Islamic State commander earlier this month in the southern Somali town of Bu’ale town in the rebel-held Middle Jubba region.
Yahya Haji Fiile, known as Abu Zakariye, was killed in the district after Shabaab Amniyaat (intelligence wing) linked him to the ISIL in Somalia.
Abu Zakariye was a former top Al-Shabaab commander; initially fell out with the militant group in 2016 after it killed Bashir Abu Numan.
Last year, Islamic State declared on Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab group in Somalia, after fighting outside Bosaso town and killed 14 of its fighters.
In a statement released by Islamic State provide visual evidence of its fight with Al-Shabaab on December 16, 2018.
The rivalry between Al-Shabaab and Islamic State fighters in Bari, Juba and Banadir and other regions of Somalia continues as the Al-Qaeda branch in Somalia is threatened by the ISIL affiliated fast establishing foothold.
