MOGADISHU, Somalia — A roadside bomb explosion struck an armored vehicle carrying African Union troops near Bal’ad town, some 30km north of the Somali capital Mogadishu.
In a statement, al Shabab — an al Qaeda — linked group said it had killed six African Union soldiers from Burundi and wounded three others in the blast.
The group says it had also destroyed a water-tank in the explosion.
There was no immediate comment from African Union mission in Somalia over the claims.
Last week, the Somali government said that over 200 militants were killed in an air strike carried out at Hareeri-gubadle village, about 20km east of Wabho in the Galgadud region, central Somalia.
In a statement, the government said foreign forces assisted the Somali National Army [SNA] during the operation at the Al-Shabaab base.
Local media reported that a drone strike targeted an al Shabab camp in the area, but it is unclear which country carried out the air raid.
The U.S Africa command did nor release any statement regarding to the drone strike reported by Mogadishu-based media.
The al Qaeda linked group has been battling for more than a decade just to topple the UN-backed government of Somalia.
The group was ousted out of the capital Mogadishu in 2011, but it still continues its gun-and-bomb attacks on Somali army and African Union military bases in the country and elsewhere in the horn of African nation.
