Categories: AFRICA

Somalia: 61 al-Shabaab Militants, Foreigners Killed in Warehouse Blast

Somalia’s national army says more than 61 Al-Shabaab militants and foreign nationals have been killed in an explosion at a village in the southern region of the country.

The army in a statement said the blast went off inside a house at Ala-Futow village, located some 285 kilometres from the capital Mogadishu.

Reports indicate that the materials stored at the 11-room house exploded late on Monday, killing at least 61 militants including six foreign nationals.

Among those killed include Al-Shabaab’s bomb experts.

The military later confirmed they conducted a swipe operation in the area destroying Al’Shabaab equipment.

Somalia had plunged into chaos after the 1991 overthrow of president Siad Barre’s military regime led to famine and decades of anarchic clan warfare.

Al-Shabaab emerged from the youth wing of the Islamic Courts Union, a rival to the internationally-backed government established in 2004, which briefly controlled large parts of Somalia.

But in the second half of 2011, the group’s fortunes appeared to be waning, as African Union peacekeeping force AMISOM pushed them out of their last bastions in Mogadishu.

Since then they have had to abandon most of their strongholds — but they still control vast rural areas and have maintained a presence in urban centres through an extensive intelligence network.

Follow us on:

AriseNews

Recent Posts

Voting Begins in US Presidential Election As Trump And Harris Face Off

Americans are headed to the polls to choose the next president in a tightly contested…

19 mins ago

Court Dismisses Case Against Protesters Charged Over Protests, Releases Minors Charged With Treason

An Abuja court has struck out the case against #EndBadGovernance protesters as the AGF discontinued…

2 hours ago

Britain Detects Two Additional Cases Of New Mpox Variant, Total Reaches Three

The UK has confirmed two more cases of the new mpox variant, clade Ib

2 hours ago

Ekiti Chief Judge Oyewole Adeyeye Passes Away From Injuries Sustained In Court Building Collapse

Ekiti mourns as Chief Judge Justice Adeyeye dies, succumbing to injuries from a court building…

3 hours ago

Boeing Workers End Seven-Week Strike After Accepting 38% Pay Increase

Boeing workers have accepted a new contract with a 38% raise, ending a seven-week strike…

3 hours ago

Trial Underway for Eight People Accused of Inciting Murder of Teacher Samuel Paty

Eight individuals are on trial in Paris, accused of inciting the murder of teacher Samuel…

3 hours ago