Islamist Rebels Attack African Union Base in South Somalia
- AU mission says it only briefly lost control of base
- Al-Shabaab says it killed 80; AU hasn't verified casualties
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Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda attacked an African Union military base in southern Somalia on Tuesday, killing dozens of soldiers, a Somali army officer said.
Fighters from the al-Shabaab insurgent group raided the base at Janaale, about 75 kilometers (46 miles) southwest of the capital, Mogadishu, at dawn using rocket-propelled grenades, Abdifitah Aden said by phone from the town. After breaking through the base’s fence, the militants stormed inside and engaged troops in a firefight, he said. Ugandan troops manned the base.