UPDF soldiers injured in Mogadishu attack

Kampala/Mogadishu.

Two Ugandan soldiers were yesterday injured and eight Somali nationals killed in an early morning attack on the African Union forces base in Somalia.

The spokesperson of the Ugandan contingent, Capt Flavia Telimulungi, told Daily Monitor on phone yesterday that two vehicles loaded with explosives attacked the entrance to the Halane base camp that is guarded by UPDF.

“This morning at 9am, two Vehicle Bond Improvised Explosive Devices (VBIED) blasted outside near the entrance to Halane camp in Mogadishu. UPDF have not lost any of its soldiers,” she said.

Capt Telimulungi said the soldiers got minor injuries. At least eight people were reportedly killed in the two huge blasts.

The first blast, reportedly from a lorry packed with explosive materials, struck the Madina Gate, the main entrance to the base. A second bang followed shortly, which targeted a security post close to the base.

According to media reports, the attacks were quickly claimed by the al-Qaeda linked al-Shabaab militants.

Reports also indicate that the impact of the blasts were felt at the terminal of Mogadishu’s Aden Abdulle International Airport.
The victims of the blasts are assumed to include Somali government security officials and Amisom peacekeepers.

In the past, al-Shabaab orchestrated blasts targeting hotels in the city and government buildings were followed by jihadist fighters assaulting the target areas with gunfire and grenades.

Residents reported hearing gunshot sounds before the blasts, presumably fired by security personnel trying to stop the speeding lorry.

Attacked base
The base houses the headquarters of African Union, UPDF contingent, UN offices and other humanitarian agencies.