Reports say Al Shabaab group has raided village of Hilowle Gaab in Hirshabelle State killing at least six people on Friday, according eyewitness.
Friday’s attack targeted the village of Hilowle Gaab in Hirshabelle State, which Somalia’s army and allied militiamen captured from al Shabaab last week.
A spokesman for the local clan militia Hussein Aden, said Alshabab fighters attacked the village during morning prayers at around 5 a.m. (0200 GMT) with car bombs.
Aden reported that a gunfight occurred during which the group were repelled.
He said soldiers and militiamen were among the six fatalities.
According to him “We were woken by three deafening blasts on the edge of the village, and then a heavy exchange of gunfire followed,” said Mohamed Hussein, a resident of Hilowle Gaab. “Fighting has died down. I do not know how many died.”
Alshbaba, on Wednesday, killed at least 35 people and when it detonated twin car bombs in the central Somalia town of Mahas.
The group said in a statement that it had recaptured the village and seized military vehicles and weapons, but residents refuted that claim.
Somalia’s government and allied clan militias have pushed the group from large swathes of territory since launching a major offensive last August.
However, al Shabaab has relaunched ssries of attacks, including bombings in the capital Mogadishu.
