5 killed as Somali soldier opens fireplace at army base in Mogadishu

At the very least 5 folks, together with Somali army officers and a United Arab Emirates (UAE) soldier, had been killed on Saturday after a soldier opened fireplace at a army base within the capital Mogadishu, a military officer and hospital employees instructed Reuters.

The UAE’s defence ministry, nonetheless, stated three members of its armed forces and one Bahraini officer had been killed in a “terrorist act” in Somalia whereas they had been coaching Somali armed forces.

Two extra had been injured, the ministry added in a press release.

The ministry didn’t give different particulars concerning the assault however stated the UAE “continues to coordinate and cooperate with the Somali authorities in investigating” the act.

The gunman, a newly educated Somali soldier, was additionally shot useless on the Gordon army base managed by the UAE, stated the military officer, who gave his identify solely as Ahmed.

“The soldier opened fireplace on the UAE trainers and Somali army officers after they began praying. 4 UAE officers had been injured whereas 4 Somali troopers died,” the officer instructed Reuters.

“We perceive the soldier had defected from al Shabaab earlier than he was recruited as a soldier by Somalia and UAE,” he stated.

Al Shabaab, linked to al Qaeda, claimed accountability for the assault by way of a press release on its Radio al Andalus and stated its fighters had killed 17 troopers.

Two nurses and a health care provider on the Erdogan Hospital in Mogadishu, who requested to not be named, instructed Reuters a senior officer from the UAE had died and 4 different officers had been critically injured.

As well as about 10 injured Somali troopers had been delivered to the hospital, they stated.

Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in a press release on state media (SONNA) provided his condolences to the UAE following the incident.

Al Shabaab has waged an insurgency in opposition to the Somali authorities since 2006 to attempt to set up its personal rule.