Over dozen Somali army personnel killed in IED attack near Mogadishu
More than a dozen Somali army personnel were reportedly killed on Monday 10 August when a military truck carrying troops was struck by an improvised explosive device near the town of Mubarak in Somalia's Lower Shabelle region, near the capital of Mogadishu.
According to an article published by Somali Guardian, the attack targeted a Somali military vehicle travelling between Awdhegle and Mubarak, two locations where Somali forces maintain bases after capturing the areas several months ago with the assistance of Ugandan ground forces and Turkish air force.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying its attack killed over 20 Somali soldiers and wounded dozens of others. The actual death toll is disputed, however, as the prominent Somali journalist Abdalle Ahmed Mumin put the number of soldiers killed at 30 and reported that many others were injured. It has been reported that a military commander was among those killed.
Somalia's government has not yet issued a public comment on the attack, and there is therefore no independent government confirmation of the casualty figures claimed by Al-Shabaab or reported by Mumin.
