Government officials have revealed that nearly 100 people were killed and up to 60 others wounded when members of the Islamic State terror group launched a deadly attack on a military base belonging to security forces from Somalia’s Puntland region.
A spokesperson for Puntland security operations, Brig Gen Mohamud Mohamed Ahmed who is commonly known as Fadhigo said the militants waged suicide attacks on the military base late on Monday evening.
“We have confirmed that at least 27 Puntland soldiers and 70 Islamic State militants, were killed during the attack and subsequent gun battle,” Ahmed Fadhigo said.
He also said it was the deadliest attack since Puntland launched an offensive last month against Islamic State groups that have hideouts in the mountains and maintained that the death toll from the attack could be substantially higher than official figures.
According to Puntland security officials, the militants using car bombs and suicide motorbikes launched attacks on the Puntland security base before a fierce gunbattle ensued.
“We knew they were coming as we had prior intelligence tip. They attacked us with car bombs and explosives-laden motorbikes, and then dozens of them engaged in a fierce gunbattle with our soldiers,” He said.
A statement from the Puntland forces said their troops repulsed the attack aimed at taking control of the base.
