ALBAWABA - Harakat Al-Shabaab Al-Mujahideen, commonly known as al-Shabaab, claimed responsibility for an attack that took place on Tuesday on an army camp in Hawadli, north of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
Al-Shabaab, first detonated a vehicle loaded with explosives and then attacked an army camp in Hawadli. Somali media announced, hours ago, that 21 al-Shabab members were killed, while five Somali soldiers, including a military commander, died.
#Somali National Army repulsed an attack by Alshabab terrorists on the army base in Hawadley in #MiddleShabelle killing 21 terrorists. 5 soldiers including Col Abshir Shataqey have martyred in the attack after terrorists used suicide car bomb, SNA Chief, G.Odawa told @SONNALIVE.
— SNTV News (@sntvnews1) January 17, 2023
The final number of deaths has not yet been announced, amidst expectations that the deaths of al-Shabaab are even higher.
This attack comes one day after the Somali government declared the restoration of a city considered strategic. On Monday, the Somali army recaptured the coastal city of Harardere, which is located 500km north of the capital, and had been controlled by Al-Shabaab for more than 13 years.
"It is a historic victory," Prime Minister Hamzah Abdi Barre said on Monday following the city's recapture, adding that "the brave members of the National Armed Forces have liberated the strategic port city of Harardere".
Barre also added that this year al-Shabaab will be eliminated and the country will be liberated.
