Al Shabaab attacks Ethiopian military base in Bardhere

Fierce fighting has erupted between Ethiopian troops under the framework African Union Peace-keeping Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and Al-Shabaab fighters on Friday night in Bardhere town, Southern Somalia.

Residents woke up to the huge sounds of gunfire and heavy artillery as the two sides engaged in a fierce gun battle.

A resident who sought anonymity said the number of casualties is not known

“Al-Shabaab attacked the Ethiopian military camp. The fighters attacked the base with RPGs and the number casualties cannot be known since the Ethiopian soldiers do not allow the residents to access the area” he said.

AMISOM has yet to comment on the attack which is concurrence of the raid on the home of head of projects for Bardhere administration Mohamed Hussein Ganey.

Al Shabaab has in this year staged multiple attacks against African Union bases in Somalia, part of a guerrilla warfare strategy to drive out foreign troops and impose its harsh version of Islamic law across the Horn of Africa nation.

African Union troops, now numbering about 22,000 from several African nations, have spent nearly a decade battling al Shabaab insurgents in Somalia, a country mired in conflict since civil war broke out in 1991.

Al Shabaab has been driven out of major strongholds in Somalia by AMISOM and Somali army offensives launched last year. But the group still controls some rural areas and often launches guerrilla-style assaults and bomb attacks.