Garowe Online (Garowe)
10 July 2008
Al Shabaab militants waging war on Somalia's interim government attacked a military base in the southern region of Bay, sparking a gunfight where at least one soldier was killed.
The surprise attack took place overnight Wednesday, with heavily-armed rebels attacking the Daynunay military camp that is located 23km from Baidoa, seat of the country's parliament.
Two civilians traveling in a car were wounded during the firefight, according to witnesses.
Muktar Robow "Abu Mansur," the al Shabaab spokesman, claimed responsibility for the attack and called on "all insurgent groups" to wage war on Baidoa, saying it is the "last place" the Somali government controls.
Bay Deputy Governor Shine Moallim Nurow rejected Abu Mansur's claims, saying that there are "no insurgents surrounding Baidoa."
Violence has continued in Somalia despite a peace pact signed on June 9 between the Ethiopian-backed interim government and an Islamist-led opposition group.
That agreement called for Ethiopian troops to withdraw and be replaced by UN peacekeepers, but analysts fear the violence will deter the international community from expanding its involvement in the war-wracked Horn of Africa country.
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