At least twenty people have been killed and more than a dozen others were wounded in Al-Shabaab clashes with Somali military in central Somalia region.
According to witnesses, heavily armed al-Shabaab militants have stormed a military base in Wisil town, Galmudug state.
The militants reportedly detonated a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) at the gate of the base, paving the way hundreds of fighters to attack the base from different directions.
In a statement posted on its affiliate media, al-Shabaab claimed to have killed more than 34 soldiers in the attack.
The attack began with a car bomb followed by a raid by the group on several flanks of the city. Among the dead are several civilians and the death toll could rise in the coming hours, according to local media sources.
In this regard, police sources have indicated that among the dead are 12 civilians and members of the security forces, as well as 15 other al-Shabaab fighters who, on the other hand, has assured through its Radio Andalus that 34 members of the Somali regional security forces have been killed in this attack.
Wisil is a strategic area of the state of Galmudug, characterized so far by its tranquility, given the presence in the area of the aforementioned base. In recent days, however, it has come to the attention of al-Shabaab after authorities began preparing military reorganization operations to launch an offensive against the terrorist group, Somalia's most violent.
Somalia's leaders have failed to break a deadlock over the election or secure a buffer between Al-Shabab militants who have staged bloody attacks across the country.
Somalia had set itself the goal of holding elections, but frequent attacks by the Al-Shabab militant group, among other governance challenges, made such an exercise an unlikely prospect.
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