The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) has denied reports that its soldiers suffered heavy casualties in Bariire town, located southwest of the capital, Mogadishu.
In a statement AUSSOM issued on Sunday, AUSSOM said Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF), rather initiated a major offensive to recapture Bariire town on 1st August.
AUSSOM rubbished al Shabaab’s claim that peacekeeping troops retreated following intense fighting after the AU-owned armored personnel carriers were destroyed in action.
Recently several media outlets reported that al-Shabaab militants had captured the strategic central Somali town of Mahaas district, in Hiiran region of Hirshabelle State, following heavy clashes with Somali troops and allied local militias last week.
The takeover came a year after Ethiopian troops stationed in the area withdrew and handed over their base to Somali forces as part of the third phase of the African Union’s ATMIS drawdown.
Somali local media reported that the Somali National Army (SNA) confirmed the fall of Mahaas, characterising it as a “tactical retreat.”
The statement further said the joint military operation has resulted in substantial losses for the militant group, with over 50 al Shabaab militants killed and many others sustaining serious injuries.
“AUSSOM and SNAF troops are determined to recapture Bariire town and other territories still under al Shabaab control to ensure lasting peace and security for the people of Somalia,’’ the statement quoted El Hadji Ibrahima Diene, the Special Representative of the African Union Commission Chairperson (SRCC) for Somalia, as saying.
MG/as/APA