UPDATE - Somali army repels al-Shabaab attack, kills 30 terrorists

UPDATES NUMBER OF TERRORISTS KILLED; ADDS DETAILS; CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - The Somali Information Ministry said Tuesday that the national army, backed by locals, thwarted an al-Shabaab terror attack on a military base in the central province of Galgadud, killing at least 30 terrorists.

The attack took place in the town of Masagawa in the central state of Galmudug during early hours on Tuesday.

“The Somali National Army, which is supported by the local residents, successfully thwarted an attack by the Khawarijs in the town of Masagaway in Galgudud region, which was recently liberated”, the Ministry said in a statement.

The government said the military based in the town were prepared for the attack by al-Shabaab terrorists and “skillfully and bravely” dispersed the terrorists.

The Information Ministry said the terrorists fled their bodies and also seized three of the vehicles that the terrorists used for the attack.

“Three of the National Forces were injured that operation whose conditions are improving”, said the statement.

Masagawa is a town in central Somalia that was liberated by the army during the first phase of Somali national army against al-Shabaab. The base also housed newly deployed soldiers trained in Eritrea, the Somali National Army (SNA).

The terrorist al-Shabaab group accepted responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on its propaganda Telegram channel, claiming that it killed over 70 soldiers in the attack and an ambush.

It also claimed to have briefly seized the military base and taken military equipment.

The militants' group claim could not be independently verified because of the region's security situation.

It was al-Shabaab's second major attack in the Horn of Africa country in less than a week.

On Friday, the terrorist group carried out a deadly attack on an African Union forces base in the Lower Shabelle region.

The base in the town of BuloMarer, 110 kilometers (68 miles) south of the capital Mogadishu, was manned by the Ugandan forces serving under the African Union mission in the country.

The group has been fighting against the Somali government and the African Union mission in the country since 2007.

For years, Somalia has been plagued by insecurity, with the main threats being the terror groups, al-Shabaab and Daesh/ISIS.