Al-Shabaab fired motor shells on Leego town Tuesday night, official

Suspected Al-Shabaab fighters Tuesday night fired several rounds of mortar shells on Leego town, which hosts Amisom and Somali army bases, 130 kilometers south of Mogadishu, local official said.

Heavy explosions could be heard Tuesday overnight by residents in neighborhoods of the town, with officials there confirming the attack.

Leego chief,  Abuukar Issack said several motor shells landed different parts of the town with no casualties cited.

“There was a mortar attack against the town last night, several rounds of mortar shells landed “said Issack.

Security forces launched operation in areas around Leego town, according the Leego chief.

Mid last year, Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab killed more 50 African Union soldiers and seized control of their military base in Leego town  after fierce fighting.

Less than a week after Al-Shabab’s attack on the African Union base in Leego, the al Qaeda branch released several photos of the attack that appeared to verify some of the group’s claims.

The latest major attack took place in January this year when dozens of Kenya soldiers were killed at an Amisom base in El-Adde town.

Troops from Burundi and Uganda make up the bulk of the African Union force that has battled Al-Shabaab in Somalia since 2007.

AU troops, together with Somali forces, have pushed the al-Qaida-linked militants out of Somalia’s major cities, but the group still controls rural areas and continues to launch attacks.

The Islamist militia of Al-Shabaab, which fights to establish an Islamic state in Somalia, formally announced its affiliation to AlQaeda in 2012.