Al-Shabaab lost several dozens fighters after a foiled attack on an Ethiopian outpost of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia.

The group attacked a military outpost in Halgan (Habden) town of central Somalia, around 300 km of capital Mogadishu, on Thursday, a senior Ethiopian official told HornAffairs.

Al-Shabaan suffered 122 deaths while more than 400 militants were captured.

Among the militants killed, five were foreigners.

No fatalities on the Ethiopian side reported so far, though some injuries could result in deaths, the sources say.

The Ethiopian military is said to be in pursuit of the remaining militants. The terrorist group admitted “several fighters” died as African Union force acknowledges “attempted attack”.

The attack was reported to be conducted with a ramming of the base fence with a car bomb.

Locals said that they heard a huge blast at the base, followed by a heavy exchange of gunfire between the two groups, which lasted for almost an hour.

There has been a rise in such attacks by al-Shabaab in recent times.

Earlier this month, the militants stormed Hotel Ambassador in Somalia using a suicide car bomb. At least 16 people were killed in the incident, including two MPs. About 55 people were also injured in the attack.

On 8 June, a US Africa Command assessment of two recent strikes in Somalia confirmed that two top commanders of the terror group were killed. The airstrikes were carried out on 27 May, in south-central Somalia wherein Abdullahi Haji Da’ud, a senior military commander for the al-Qaeda-linked group was killed.

*********