Extremists in Somalia kill 8 army soldiers, says official
Somalia's extremist rebels have killed at least
eight soldiers in an ambush in the country's south, said a military official.
Two other soldiers are missing after an attack on a
military convoy traveling between the towns of Afoye and Wanlaweyn in Lower
Shabelle region, Col. Ahmed Hassan said Thursday.
Somalia's al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaida,
has claimed responsibility for the attack. The extremist group said it killed
at least 25 soldiers, a claim dismissed by the Somali military.
Al-Shabab fighters often attack troops traveling on
the major roads between the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and nearby regions.
The latest attack comes after Somalia’s intelligence
agency said it seized nearly 80 tons of sulfuric acid, preventing the chemical
from being smuggled into territory held by al-Shabab, which would have used it
to make explosives. Several people involved in the smuggling have been
arrested, according to the intelligence agency.
