On 1 April 2018, Al-Shabaab fighters attacked an

AMISOM The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was a regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It was mandated to support transitional governmental structures, implem ...

base in

Bulo Marer Bulo Marer ( so, Buulo Mareer), also written as Bulomarer, is a town in the southwestern Lower Shebelle region of Somalia. It was a base of Al-Shabaab, and was the site of an ill-fated 2013 military operation during which French commandos attempt ...

in the

Lower Shebelle Lower Shabelle ( so, Shabeellaha Hoose, Maay: ''Shibelithy Hoosy'', ar, شبيلي السفلى, it, Basso Scebeli) is an administrative region ('' gobol'') in southern Somalia. Geography Lower Shabelle is bordered by the regions of Banaadi ...

region of

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constitut ...

Attack

Two trucks filled with explosives blew up at the

military camp in Bula Marer, 110 km south of

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...

. Then about 100 Al-Shabaab militants attacked the base with gunfire. Another suicide bomber rammed his vehicle packed with explosives into a military convoy carrying Ugandan soldiers from Golweyn. According to the Deputy Governor of Lower Shabelle region Ali Nur Mohamed,

troops destroyed the vehicle with a

rocket propelled grenade A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) is a shoulder-fired missile weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, and are frequently used as anti-tank weapons. These warheads are ...

. The militants also attacked a third

base in

Barawe Barawa ( so, Baraawe, Maay: ''Barawy'', ar, ﺑﺮﺍﻭة ''Barāwa''), also known as Barawe and Brava, is the capital of the South West State of Somalia.Pelizzari, Elisa. "Guerre civile et question de genre en Somalie. Les événements et le ...

with mortars and launched infantry attacks on two Somali government positions in

Qoryoley Qoryoley ( Maay: ''Qornyooley'', so, Qoryooley, ar, قوريولي) is a city in southern Somalia. It is located in the Lower Shebelle Lower Shabelle ( so, Shabeellaha Hoose, Maay: ''Shibelithy Hoosy'', ar, شبيلي السفلى, it, ...

and Mashallay. These attacks were reportedly intended to distract the troops in those camps from supporting the forces in

. Witnesses said Al-Shabaab terrorists attacked civilians and set houses and shops on fire after they raided the military base. Ali Nur Mohamed told VOA Somali that

and Somali troops repulsed all attacks.

Casualties

The death toll was not clear.

Uganda People's Defense Force The Uganda People's Defence Force (UPDF), previously known as the National Resistance Army, is the armed forces of Uganda. From 2007 to 2011, the International Institute for Strategic Studies estimated the UPDF had a total strength of 40,000–4 ...

spokesman Richard Karemire said four Ugandan peacekeepers were killed and six

troops injured. Thirty Al-Shabaab terrorists were killed according to his reports. Al-Shabaab's military operations spokesperson Abdiaziz Abu Mus'ab said that the group lost only 14 fighters and killed at least 59

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of member states of the African Union, 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling fo ...

soldiers. Abdi Nur Hashi, a Somali military colonel stationed near the base, told

the Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

that as many as 46 Ugandan troops died in the attack. One Somali soldier died and several others were injured.

References

2018 murders in Somalia Al-Shabaab (militant group) attacks April 2018 events in Africa Mass murder in 2018 Terrorist incidents in Somalia in 2018 Somali Civil War (2009–present) April 2018 crimes in Africa Conflicts in 2018 21st-century mass murder in Somalia Battles in 2018 Battles involving Somalia Battles of the Somali Civil War (2009–present) Battles involving al-Shabaab (militant group) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bulo Marer, 2018