AUSSOM confirms Burundian troops injured in Al-Shabaab ambush in Somalia
The peacekeepers were clearing a landing area for a helicopter to land when they came under attack.
On Sunday, several Burundian soldiers serving under the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) troops in Somalia were injured in an Al-Shabaab ambush in the Middle Shabelle region, the peace mission confirmed in a statement.
The statement did not specify how many Burundian soldiers were injured in the attack. The Burundi forces were the second to deploy to Somalia after Ugandan forces in 2007.
They have since taken part in major offensives against Al-Shabaab, including the fight to liberate Mogadishu together with Ugandan forces in 2009.
“The African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) strongly condemns Sunday’s attack on its soldiers by Al-Shabaab militants in Buurane village Mahaday district of Hirshabelle State,” the statement read.
The statement further said the peacekeepers were clearing a landing area for a helicopter to land when they came under attack, but that the forces defended themselves and killed one militant in the ensuing gun battle.
“The cowardly act of using roadside bombs will not deter our resolve to ensure Somalia achieves long lasting peace its people have been yearning for. We will continue supporting the Federal Government and Somali Security Forces in their operations against Al-Shabaab and other illegal armed groups,” Acting Head of AUSSOM, Sivuyile Bam, who issued the statement said.
Bam wished the injured troops a quick recovery and praised the Burundian forces for their swift action after the attack, which prevented the militants from causing maximum casualties.
AUSSOM forces operate across Somalia in and around Mogadishu, where Ugandan forces operate, in Dhobley where Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) operate including Kismayo in Lower Jubba region; in Bay and Bakool regions where Ethiopian forces operate, in Hiiran where Djiboutian forces operate region and in the Middle Shabelle region where Burundi forces operate.
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