Somalia’s security forces are battling a “terrorist incident” at the gates of a military camp in the capital Mogadishu, state-run television said, with a witness saying attackers had forced their way in and begun shooting.
Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab said it was behind the attack. The military group’s Radio Andalus said in a broadcast that its fighters had attacked the Halane base, and they were still shooting.
The camp hosts African Union peacekeeping troops, U.N., and other international organizations and is near the airport.
“Security forces are attending a terrorist incident at one of the main gates of Mogadishu’s Halane compound and police will give details shortly, officials confirmed to state media,” Somali National Television said on its Twitter account.
The witness at the compound said the attackers forced their way through the gate and started shooting.
“I saw a number of injured AMISOM (African Union) soldiers lying on the ground. We were walking away from the scene and two of my friends were injured near the DFS Hotel,” said Mahad Hirsi, a witness in Halane.