Al-Shabab militants attack African Union base Somalia

Shabab spokesman Shabab spokesman Abdiaziz Abu Musab claimed to have killed 63 Kenyan troops in the pre-dawn attack, but this could not be immediately verified.

Kenya’s president, Uhuru Kenyatta described the attack as heartbreaking adding that Kenya troops were killed in the attack but gave no figure.

“Our fighters went in and after a heavy exchange of gunfire we took over the base”, Musab said, and residents have reported sporadic gunfire inside the military compound.

The 54-member African Union has, since 2007, organized a peacekeeping force to stabilize Somalia, which has not had a functioning government since a civil war and a 1991 overthrow.

Al-Shabab claimed it had killed dozens of Kenyan troops in an African Union base in southwestern Somalia on Friday.

Maalik Alim Jones, 31, entered his plea in a soft voice in federal court in Manhattan, two days after prosecutors announced his indictment on five counts including that he conspired to provide material support to al Shabaab.

“Somalia is no longer a failed state”, said Mr Mohamud, making no reference to the attack.

Al-Shabab said their fighters killed dozens of Kenyan troops in the attack.

However, Somali National Army said the attackers targeted the KDF base.

The group has also carried out many deadly attacks inside Kenya. The Kenyan Defence Force initially denied that its base had been attacked, saying a nearby Somali military base had been stormed and its soldiers had been deployed to help counter the attack.

Al-Shabab militants have overrun an African Union military base in Somalia.

Al Shabaab has been driven out of major strongholds in Somalia by AMISOM and Somali army offensives launched previous year.

Kenya contributes more than 4,000 troops to the 22,000-strong AU force that is in Somalia helping the UN-backed government battle al-Shabab, which is part of al-Qaeda.

He said the fighting was still ongoing which has been made it hard to establish the number of casualties.

“We then saw an al-Shabab fighter in the town”.