At least twelve people died on Sunday (June 27) in an attack by Shabab Islamists on a military base and civilian homes in central Somalia, paramilitary and local sources said.
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According to several sources interviewed by AFP, the shebab targeted a base housing government troops in the state of Galmudug, then the adjoining town of Wisil, located more than 700 km north of the capital Mogadishu. “
It is very difficult to know the exact toll, but we understand that twelve people, including six soldiers, died in Wisil. There are also civilian casualties,
”said Abdirahman Adan, commander of a paramilitary unit in Galmudug State, by telephone.
Abdirahman Adan added that the attackers were "
pushed back
" and that "
many
" of them died, without being able to specify their number. Abdullahi Sahal, a community leader in Wisil, confirmed the death toll of 12, citing “
six civilians
” and “
six soldiers
” killed. Mohamed Mire, another paramilitary commander, said the attack started with the explosion of a vehicle loaded with explosives. "
After the explosion of the car bomb, they began to fire heavily but the security forces were fully prepared to counter their stratagems and forced the terrorists to withdraw, with losses,
" he said. "
We have full control of the situation and we are chasing those who remain
”.
21 alleged members of the shebab executed
In a statement, the shebab for their part claimed to have killed 34 soldiers, government and local, in the military base.
“
There was a huge explosion that hit the city before heavy firefights began early in the morning.
The fighting continued for over an hour before the Shebab fighters withdrew,
”said Ahmed Ayanle, a resident.
Bashir Ahmed, another resident, saw three soldiers dead and 10 others wounded.
Also on Sunday, the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, further north, announced that it had executed 21 suspected members of the shebab, sentenced by a local military court. "
Today, June 27, 2021, the death penalty has been imposed on terrorists who have become accustomed to spilling the blood of the people,
" Colonel Mumin Abdi Shire, commander of the region told reporters. Mudug, Puntland. This is the largest number of people executed at the same time in Somalia.