Six Al-Shabaab killed in fighting between clan militias and Al-Shabaab, officials say

Clan militias who are loyal to former Defense minister, Barre Hiiraale have killed six Al-Shabaab fighters in a clash in Elwak town and recovered six AK47 rifles, the town’s deputy mayor said.

The incident happened on Tuesday night after Al-Shabaab fighters raided the base of the militias and prompted hours of fighting.

Sahal Moalim Adan, the deputy mayor of Elwak town said the fighting took place in the town after Al-Shabaab attacked base.

“Al-Shabaab fighters have attacked the militias of Bare Hiraale who had military base in the town,” Are’ase said.

He added “Six of the Al-Shabaab fighters were killed in the fighting and the rest fled,” he said, adding that the clean-up operation was still ongoing.

He said on Bare’s militia’s side, they suffered injuries including the commander who have been in-charge of the militias.

It was not immediately possible to independently verify the information.

Al-Shabaab has been driven out of major strongholds in Somalia in recent years in a joint offensive by AMISOM and local forces, but is still believed to have between 7,000 and 9,000 fighters who regularly launch guerrilla-style assaults and bomb attacks.

Al-Shabaab is an offshoot of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), which splintered into several smaller factions after its defeat in 2006 by Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and the TFG’s Ethiopian military allies.

The group describes itself as waging jihad against “enemies of Islam”, and is engaged in combat against the Federal Government of Somalia and the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM).