{{Somali Islamist militants drove a car bomb at a hotel in a town in central Somalia that was being used by African Union and Somali military forces, a resident and the militant group said.}}
The al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab movement said its raid on Monday claimed many lives, but poor communications in that region made it difficult to verify numbers.
The insurgent strike followed an attack on a military convoy near the capital Mogadishu, also on Monday, which killed four Somali soldiers, an army captain said.
Somalia’s African Union peacekeeping force AMISOM, now bigger after Ethiopian troops joined this year, has launched an offensive to clear territory still held by al Shabaab.
The Islamists have responded with more guerrilla assaults and have threatened attacks on contributors to the African force, such as Kenya and Uganda. Both those nations have warned of threats and Kenya detained two would-be bombers this week.
Hussein Nur, a resident in Somalia’s central Bulobarde town, said a car bomb exploded late on Monday at the Camalow hotel, then troops and militants fought for several hours. His line cut before he could provide further details.
AMISOM could not immediately be reached for comment.
“First, a mujahid (holy warrior) with a car bomb entered the hotel, followed by two well-armed fighters who sprayed bullets,” said Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, Al Shabaab’s military operation spokesman, told media on Tuesday.
He said 32 soldiers were killed. In the past, al Shabaab has exaggerated numbers while officials have downplayed losses.
Al Shabaab, which is seeking to impose its version of Islamic law, was driven out of bases in the capital more than two years ago, but has continued to control swathes of countryside and smaller towns, which it uses as launchpads to strike.
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Regional nations and the West worry that, unless al Shabaab is denied the use of such territory, it will be able to plan strikes well beyond Somalia’s borders, such as the attack on a Kenyan shopping mall last year that killed at least 67 people.
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