At least 15 Somali government soldiers were killed Thursday when heavily-armed rebels overran a key checkpoint in the central region, reliable sources said. The battle erupted outside the town of 'Adado, in central Somalia's region of Galgadud, at around 6am local time when insurgents attacked a checkpoint outside the town. Sandhere Ali Hosh, a local elder in 'Adado town, confirmed to Garowe Online by telephone that he counted 19 dead bodies, including soldiers and civilians. More than 40 people were wounded during the five-hour battle, whereby the warring sides used heavy weapons including rockets and tanks and locals reported that explosions had rocked villages outside 'Adado.
A passenger bus transporting civilians from the capital Mogadishu towards the central town of Galkayo, 750km north, was hit by a shell while drive. Six people inside the bus were wounded and rushed to a hospital in Galkayo, according to villagers.
The fighting stopped after insurgents took full control of the town and overran the positions of government troops, residents reported.
Col. Dahir Shidane, the commander of the Somali army's central regions brigade, confirmed to reporters that the government side suffered heavy casualties, but did not provide specific numbers. He stated that government troops lost six armored trucks, which insurgents burned inside the town.
He accusing the attacking fighters of being fighters loyal to al Shabaab, an Islamist group designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government last month.
Muktar Robow "Abu Mansur," spokesman for al Shabaab, told a Mogadishu radio station that the al Shabaab fighters had seized control of 'Adado and captured 11 military trucks from fleeing government troops, including tanks. The spokesman did not mention casualties suffered by the Islamist guerrillas, however.
Somalia's Islamist fighters are expanding their guerrilla war outside of Mogadishu, where there is a heavy presence of Somali, Ethiopian and African Union troops. In recent weeks, the rebels have attacked and briefly captured more than seven towns, including the capitals of three regions. Insiders say the war is expanding into regions controlled by clans opposed to the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG), which is recognized by the UN as the country's legitimate government.
Since January 2007, the Ethiopian-backed TFG has struggled to impose its authority across the country, which disintegrated into sub-units at the onset of the 1991 civil war.