{{An al Shabaab suicide bomber rammed a car into the gates of a hotel used by African Union peacekeepers in central Somalia before gunmen sprayed the building with bullets, killing many, the al Qaeda-linked militant group and residents said.}}
The night-time attack happened in Bulobarde, abandoned by al Shabaab last week as African troops advanced on the town in a new offensive aimed to flush the militants from the area. Bulobarde’s streets were mostly deserted on Tuesday.
Local elder Hassan Nur said his nephew, the military commander of Hiran province, and a local government official were among the dead.
“Most of the troops and civilians inside the hotel died or were wounded. We couldn’t count how many died because AU and Somali forces swarmed all over the place,” Nur told media.
AMISOM, said it stood with “the fallen soldiers” but did not say how many had been killed. AMISOM launched this month a new push to drive al Shabaab from southern and central Somalia.
The militants, who seek to impose their version of Islamic law, were driven out of bases in the capital more than two years ago, but have continued to control swathes of countryside and smaller towns, which they use as launchpads to carry out attacks at home and abroad.
An al Shabaab spokesman said two gunmen sprayed the hotel with bullets immediately after the initial explosion, killing at least 32 soldiers. In the past, al Shabaab has often exaggerated death tolls while government officials have downplayed losses.
Nur reported hearing a prolonged gun battle and later seeing the bodies of five militant fighters being dragged through a street early on Tuesday, indicating more rebels were involved in the raid. Other residents confirmed hearing sustained gunfire.
Tuesday’s strike by al Shabaab followed an attack on Monday on a military convoy near the capital Mogadishu, which killed four Somali soldiers, according to an army captain.
{agencies}
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