KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Tuesday 1, September 2015, a fierce fight erupted between Somali’s government soldiers backed by the AMISOM troops and the Al Shabaab fighters in areas near Elbuur town in central Somalia.
The deadly battle started after the heavily armed militants launched attacks on bases manned by Somalia National Army along with African Union troops in the town.
Elbuur District Commissioner, Nur Hassan Gutaale, confirmed dozens of Al Shabaab militants were killed by the government forces and allied soldiers during the ambush offensive.
According to Gutaale, AMISOM warplanes have destroyed several bases linked to Al Shabaab in Elbuur and the attack on the army base seen as a retaliatory attack for several humiliations the jihadist group has suffered from the government forces and AMISOM troops.
SUMMARY
In the past days, there were fierce clashes between government troops with the support of AMISOM forces at villages near Elbuur town in Galgaduud region of central Somalia.
Al Shabaab yet attacked another AU base in Janaale and through their propaganda channels claimed to have killed dozens of AU soldiers.
Janaale AMISOM base is in sector 1 and is under the control of the Ugandan contingent.
AMISOM refuted the claims that Al Shabaab had overrun the army base and maintained it is under AU forces control.
In June, Al Shabaab had also ambushed another African Union base in Leego, a small town in the Lower Shabelle region in southern Somalia but they were met with fierce fire from AMISOM troops forcing them to tactfully retreat.
Despite losing most of its key strongholds in south and in central Somalia, Al Shabaab militants which is an Al Qaeda branch in Somalia continues to carry out attacks on the government and African Union troops across the country.
The remnants of Islamist fighters also stage frequent suicide attacks inside the capital, Mogadishu.
