At least 12 people have been killed when a military base in Somalia was attacked by members of the Shebab jihadist group.
Members of the jihadist group armed with heavy weapons attacked the base, near the city of Baidoa, on Wednesday, said Mahad Ali, an officer of the Somali armed forces, in the German Agency.
Residents in Baidoa reported hearing explosions and exchanges of fire for hours.
A unit of the Ethiopian army, which is part of the African Union mission in Somalia, rushed to support the Somali soldiers and the jihadist attack was repulsed, according to Mahad Ali.
Al-Shebab (the “youth” in Arabic) claimed responsibility for the attack on Andalus radio station, its propaganda organ.
Somalia is facing a deep political crisis and clashes between rival political factions have erupted over the postponement of the elections.
According to UN estimates, between 60,000 and 100,000 people in the capital, Mogadishu, have been forced to flee their homes since April 25 due to violence and a climate of fear.
Shebab is taking advantage of the political crisis and trying to extract territorial gains by escalating its attacks on the country in the Horn of Africa.
