Militants say kill 43 in attack on Ethiopian base in Somalia MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somalia's al Shabaab militant group said it rammed a suicide car bomb into an African Union military base, stormed inside and killed 43 Ethiopian soldiers on Thursday. The AU force said it had repulsed an "attempted attack". Residents near the base in the central town of Halgan said they heard a huge explosion and heavy exchanges of gunfire shortly before dawn. Shots rang out at least an hour after the initial blast, they said. "There was an attempted attack this morning. They were repulsed. Our troops are in control of the situation," a spokesman for the African Union's AMISOM force said in a brief statement, without giving details or any casualties. AMISOM, made up of troops from African nations supporting Somalia's Western-backed government and army in the fight against the al Qaeda-linked militants, usually says it is up to troop-contributing countries to announce casualties. "We understand there are casualties on both sides. AU forces fought back fiercely and repulsed al Shabaab," Somali military officer Major Abdifatah Elmi told Reuters from Bulaburde town in the region. But he said he did not have figures. "Several residents were injured by stray bullets," he said. In the past, casualty figures cited by al Shabaab have been much higher than official numbers. "Our fighters stormed the Halgan base of AMISOM," al Shabaab's military operations spokesman Abdiasis Abu Musab told Reuters. He said the group used a suicide car bomb and then militants had exchanged fire with Ethiopian troops. He said "several" al Shabaab fighters died. "It was a huge blast. It destroyed the gate and parts of the base," the spokesman said, adding al Shabaab fighters overran the base and drove out the Ethiopian troops before withdrawing. Al Shabaab fighters also repelled a counter attack by Djibouti troops deployed from another base in the area, he said. The group often launches gun and bomb attacks on officials, Somali security forces and AMISOM in a bid to topple the government and impose its own strict interpretation of Islam on Somalia. In January, Kenyan troops serving with AMISOM suffered heavy losses when al Shabaab made a dawn raid on their camp in El Adde, near the Kenyan border. Al Shabaab said it killed more than 100 soldiers but Kenya gave no exact casualty figure. http://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2016/Jun/105844/militants_say_kill_43_in_attack_on_ethiopian_base_in_somalia.aspx

Asad Ahmed You are in for a rude awakening if you think we will vacate the Haud that easily. We were there before the Ethiopians even expanded to the Somali region/zone 5 from Jigjiga in 19th century led by Ras Makonnen.

Ethiopian occupying forces should be eradicated from Somali soil, they should be hunted everywhere they are.

What a load of tabloid bullsh*t. There was no armed tribe. Ethiopia Liyuu servants massacred unarmed women and children.They will pay for it. At this moment Ethiopian officials have been summoned to Hargeisa, it is a serious issue that will forever damage the relations between Sland and Ethiopia. Wafti Itoobiyaan ah oo heer wasiir ah oo Somaliland u imanaaya xalinta colaadii Gashaamo https://qarannews.com/wafti-itoobiyaan-ah-oo-heer-wasiir-ah-oo-somaliland-u-imanaaya-xalinta-colaadii-gashaamo/

Liyuu Police and the Ethiopian troops keep targeting HAG and Gashaamo communities. It is time to stand up to them. Back in February they killed 300 HAG civilians in Shilabo and now they also killed over 50 civilians in Gashamo district in June 2016. Also in late 2015 they attacked the border areas of Haud and Hiiraan , they killed many people in that attack. This is unacceptable, I advise the diaspora from those communities to apply diplomatic pressure and to file war crimes against Ethiopia and its proxy death squad (Liyuu Police). Liyuu Police must be disbanded ASAP. On 5 June 2016, the Ethiopian army swept through Jama’ Dubad, a village near Gashamo, indiscriminately opened fire on unarmed civilians and in the ensuing bloodbath killed 51 people, among them women and children. The Ethiopian forces then torched the village and razed it to the ground. While some of the villagers managed to escape the carnage, the Ethiopian army abducted more than ten village elders. Their whereabouts are unknown. Sadly, the most recent attack is but part of a seemingly wider strategy of the Ethiopian central government to terrorize and instil fear among the population living along the country’s borders with Somalia and Kenya. Numerous attacks similar to the most recent one have been perpetrated by the Ethiopian army over the last couple of months. For instance, Ethiopian forces together with the infamous Liyu Police, a proxy militia, had destroyed the village of Lababar in February 2016, killing more than 300 civilians. The Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) joins the ONLF in strongly condemning the actions of the Ethiopian army and calling upon the international community to hold the Ethiopian Government accountable for these actions, demand that such repressions are halted and take Ethiopia’s poor human rights record into account when engaging in trade or other exchanges with its authorities. http://unpo.org/article/19240

Very good point by my cousin from Bohol. Yes Somalis need to stop belly dancing for Ethiopia. This is the last straw that broke the camel's back, a wake up call to Somalilanders and other Somalis.

Should be deported.

Interesting analysis. We shall wait for part 2.

The city has two mayors now.

Interesting analysis. I fail to see how Al shabab can survive in the north though unless disgruntled corner communities like Khaatumo try to support it.

Somaliland came a long way but I agree that is still not enough. We need to crackdown on corruption, create jobs for youth, invest in infrastructures, build factories and increase the GDP. Also we should ban khat.

Good looking interior. @Che -Guevara said: No girls. Puntland is very conservative.

Burning flags won't change anything. The political elite of Laas Caanood don't want the city to leave Somaliland's hands but its city's population is largely anti Somaliland.

I will travel to Daalo this summer.

25 years ago this was the spot for SNM guerrilla fighters operating from Maydh to Daalo, now it is the hang out spot for Sanaagian gashaantiis. Happy May 18 folks.

They should stop abusing the poor trees.

Somebody needs to put the elderly Senile Silanyo out of suffering and put him in a care home.

I agree it is a bit too much,It shows though the Sland diaspora in USA are well off through their own hard work and do have the means to make a big difference back-home. Then again that should be the job of the government not just forever relying on diaspora cash.

What matters is Hargeisa security in long-term . If you go to Hargeisa you will see too many street children (a large part of them Oromos) what do you think will happen when those kids become over 18? They will become dangerous criminals with no regard to public safety. Burco in comparison is very local and has better security since it hasn't been effected by the Oromo invasion.

The voter registration is nearly finished (two more regions left). The campaigning will start late 2016. Remember the election committee banned large gatherings until it is the right time. Also no large gatherings in airports, seems fair.

Silanyo wife Amina Hersi and the ministers already had a big fight over the $10 million upfront that was given to them in cash.

@Mooge said: i am impressed by this guy niyoow. he comes off as no-nonsense kind of guy. jamal should have joined wadani niyoow instead of chasing Ucid and warabe left-over. I think that is what it will come to. Jamal is waiting for the court outcome, if it favors Faisal Ali Waraabe, he will join the main opposition party.

$442 million over 30 years. Dubai: DP World, the port operator with terminals from Brazil to China, has signed an agreement with the government of Somaliland to co-invest $442 million (Dh1.62 billion) in the Port of Berbera. The two parties have signed a term-sheet agreement to form a joint venture company that will “invest and manage” and transform the port into a “regional and logistic hub,” according to DP World statement sent to Gulf News on Wednesday. It is understood the agreement was signed during a recent visit to DP World’s offices in Dubai by Somaliland officials. Somaliland’s President Ahmad Mohammad Mohamoud was reportedly in the UAE last week. Somaliland is an autonomous and impoverished region in the Horn of Africa. The agreement is non binding but sets the basic terms for the investment that includes investing $442 million in the port “over time.” The investment is dependent on the port’s performance, the statement said, and will also include the setting up of a free zone. The development of the Port of Berbera “will provide an additional gateway for Ethiopia that is needed for its growth and serve other land-locked countries along the east coast of Africa,” DP World said. In March 2015, Dubai-owned P&O Ports said it had entered into “preliminary discussions” with the government of Somaliland to develop ports in the region. P&O Ports is a sister company of DP World but does not share the same ownership structure. DP World is owned by Dubai investment company Dubai World while P&O Ports is owned by state entity Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC). Sultan Ahmad Bin Sulayem is the chairman of DP World and PCFC. Somaliland is a breakaway region of Somalia that has functioned as an independent state for twenty years without international recognition. Source: http://m.gulfnews.com/business/sectors/shipping/dp-world-signs-442m-joint-venture-with-somaliland-1.1825624