... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa...faceless myrmidons launched a pre-dawn assault on a Somali military base in Hawadley, Middle Shabelle region, early Friday, beginning with a suicide car kaboom followed by heavy fighting.
The al-Qaeda-linked group claimed to have killed 21 soldiers, among them several officers, in the attack, although these claims couldn't be independently verified due to disrupted communications in the area.
Al-Shabaab also stated they captured soldiers and took military equipment. Somali government officials have not yet commented on the specifics of the attack or confirmed any casualties.
The major attack is part of an ongoing series of
The silence from Somali officials and the communication blackout continue to obscure a clear picture of the situation on the ground in Hawadley, approximately 60 kilometers north of Mogadishu, the Somali capital.