Al-Shabaab attacks Af-Urur village in Puntland’s Bari region

Reports from Af-Urur village in Puntland’s Bari region say that Al-Shabaab militants attacked a Puntland military base early Sunday morning.

Al-Shabaab launched the attack with mortars and small arms fire, followed by a gun battle between Puntland forces and Al-Shabaab. The attack started just before dawn prayers.

Al-Shabaab has previously attacked Af-Urur, 70km from Bossaso, in one of the deadliest attacks in Puntland. More than 50 Puntland soldiers were killed in an al-Shabaab attack on Afurur in June 2017 after raiding a Puntland military base in Af-Urur.

For over a decade, the group has been waging a deadly war against Somalia’s internationally-backed government. On several occasions, the regional administration vowed to eliminate Al Shabaab from its territory but it still seems to be functioning and carrying out its attacks.