ATMIS troops and the Somali Army kill Al Shabaab terrorists who attacked an AU military base

May 30. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The African Union mission in Somalia (ATMIS) has reported on Tuesday that its troops, together with the Somali Army, have persecuted the members of the terrorist group Al Shabaab who were involved in the attack on a mission base carried out last Friday, announcing that a “considerable number of terrorists” have been killed in the operation.

“ATMIS and Somali Armed Forces troops have successfully pursued fleeing Al Shabaab terrorists involved in the attack on a major military base of ATMIS forces in Bula-Marer (in the south-west of country),” read a statement.

“A considerable number of terrorists have been eliminated,” the letter continues, indicating that they have also recovered “multiple weapons looted” in the attack on the military base.

ATMIS added that it “remains committed to the fight against terrorism and will continue to work closely with the Somali government, member states and international partners to ensure security” in the African country.

For its part, the Somali Army, according to the SONNA news agency, announced on Monday that it had killed eight militants of the terrorist group and that it had arrested two high-ranking agents after carrying out a special operation against the group, without to specify if they were linked to the attack on the ATMIS base.

A military source told the aforementioned agency that the operation, which it considered a success, targeted members of the terrorist group with intelligence and tax collection charges.

Al Shabaab launched an attack on an ATMIS military base in Bula-Marer in the Lower Shabelle region last Friday, killing “dozens of Ugandan soldiers deployed there.” The attack took place just a day after Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud stated that the country is “at a key moment” and stressed that the security forces seek to “eliminate the threat of extremist elements, such as Al Shabaab”. to ensure the safety of the population.

Somalia has in recent months increased offensives against Al Shabaab, linked to Al Qaeda, with support from clans and local militias as part of a series of decisions taken by the president, who promised upon taking office to put the fight against terrorism at the center of his efforts to stabilize the African country.