Al Shabaab fighters launched an assault overnight targeting an Ethiopian military base in central Somalia.
The incident occurred in the town of Halgan situated in Hiiraan province. Local contacts reveal insurgents besieged the Ethiopian army base with small arms fire from multiple directions, followed by an intense barrage of shelling.
The Ethiopian troops overwhelmed by the surprise attack returned fire recklessly unleashing multiple rounds into the midst of the night, as if they where fighting an invisible enemy eyewitnesses confirm.
The encounter which was said to have lasted several minutes was followed by silence as insurgents disappeared into the night. The casualties from this latest encounter remains unknown for the time being.
However the armed group Al Shabaab took credit for the attack early this morning in a statement published on the pro militant website dubbed Somali Memo.
The overnight attack on the Ethiopian army base in Halgan, marks the third attack on the same ENDF base in the span of two weeks.
Al Shabaab fighters carried out a similar attack this past Tuesday on July 2nd. A previous mortar attack targeting the same Ethiopian military base in Halgan occurred on June 22nd.
Halgan Media.
