Sunday 22nd September 2019 at around 5:30 am, local time, Al-Shabaab combatants using Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED) struck the gate of SNA Forward Operating Base (FOB) in El Salini village of Lower Shabelle.
Locals and military intelligence assets from Somalia confirmed that SNA-FOB in El Salini had come under heavy attack from the Al-Qaeda aligned Shabaab fighters.
The initial BDA indicated the combatants after the ramminh the gate of the Somali base, its fighters began gun battle, attacking from different sides. Reports indicate the fighters managed to overrun, destroying the army base and killing 23 government soldiers.
One government soldier was captured alive as prisoner of war (POW) as the terrorists reportedly looted ammunition belonging the SNA. Reports further indicate that Al-Shabaab withdrew at midday taking military vehicles and weapons from the base, including anti-aircraft guns. .
Shabaab has so far revised the numbers killed at the Military Base in El-Salini, Merka City, Lower Shabelle, Somalia in a new claim.
In an updated claim on its affiliate media, Abdiasis Abu Musab, Al-Shabaab’s military operations spokesman, claimed that the group’s fighters had overrun an ‘apostate’ military base killing 23 government soldiers.
In his statement, Musab added that the death toll of government soldiers from that attack had risen to 35 after 12 more dead bodies of SNA soldiers were found in the bush.
Despite the risks of making statements, such as enabling governments to locate terror group leaders, Al-Shabaab through its pro-websites and media channels continues to communicate regularly with video and audio messages which are posted on different channels and disseminated on the internet to spread its perceived successes in given theater of operations, further their goals besides boosting morale of their foot soldiers and attracting potential recruits.
