US military base near Somalia's Baledogle town and Italian military convoy in capital Mogadishu come under attack. Al Shabab claims responsibility for first assault pic.twitter.com/JZvtc4PTuM
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No American appears to have been injured in the attack on the base. US forces conducted 2 airstrikes and small arms “self defense” operations killing ten terrorists, destroying one vehicle.
Via CBS:
A Somali official confirmed reports of an attack on a U.S. base in the country on Monday. Yusuf Abdourahman, a security official with the Lower Shabelle regional administration, told The Associated Press that a suicide car bomber detonated a vehicle packed with explosives at the gate of a military airstrip that serves as a base for U.S. and Somali forces.
He said a burst of gunfire could be heard across the base after the bombing, suggesting an ongoing attack on the facility.
Somalia’s Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The U.S. military uses Belidogle airstrip in the Lower Shabelle region as a base where it launches drones that attack al-Shabab and trains Somali troops. AFRICOM confirmed a strike by U.S. drones about two weeks ago in support of Somali forces who came under attack by al-Shabab militants while on patrol in Lower Juba province.