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Al Shabaab Militants Attack Somali Military Base

Somalia's army soldiers and peacekeepers from the African Union Mission in Somalia enter the town of Barawe during the second phase of Operation Indian Ocean October 6, 2014. (Reuters)
Somalia's army soldiers and peacekeepers from the African Union Mission in Somalia enter the town of Barawe during the second phase of Operation Indian Ocean October 6, 2014. (Reuters)
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Al Shabaab Militants Attack Somali Military Base

Somalia's army soldiers and peacekeepers from the African Union Mission in Somalia enter the town of Barawe during the second phase of Operation Indian Ocean October 6, 2014. (Reuters)
Somalia's army soldiers and peacekeepers from the African Union Mission in Somalia enter the town of Barawe during the second phase of Operation Indian Ocean October 6, 2014. (Reuters)

Al Shabaab militants attacked a Somali military base in the central Galgaduud region on Monday, the defense ministry and the terrorist group said, days after the area was captured by government forces.

The army repulsed the attack on the base housing national and local troops in Qayib, a village captured from al Shabaab last week, defense ministry spokesperson Abdullahi Ali Anod told the state news agency SONNA.

The attack began with two suicide car bombs at around 5 a.m. (0200 GMT), followed by hours of heavy fighting, Ahmed Hassan, a military officer in the nearby town of Bahdo, told Reuters.

"Al Shabaab torched the telecommunication station of the town, and so it is off the air now. We know we killed five al Shabaab fighters," Hassan said.

One car bomb hit a military truck guarding the base entrance, while the other was blown up outside, he said.

It wasn't immediately clear how many people had been killed in total, but at least nine soldiers were injured, he said.

In a statement, al Shabaab spokesperson Abdiasis Abu Musab said the group launched the assault in Qayib using suicide car bombs before its militants attacked from different directions. The militants killed several soldiers and stole weapons and military vehicles, Abu Musab said.

Government forces, supported by clan militias, have made a number of battlefield gains against al Shabaab in the last three months, regaining territory long held by the group.

In response, al Shabaab killed at least 120 people in twin car bombs at the education ministry in the capital Mogadishu on Oct. 29, the deadliest blasts in five years.

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Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
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Taiwan Demonstrates Sea Defenses against Potential Chinese Attack as Tensions Rise with Beijing

A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO
A Taiwan navy Tuo Chiang-class corvette(rear) and Kuang Hua VI-class missile boat (front) maneuver during a drill in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 09 January 2025. EPA/RITCHIE B. TONGO

Taiwan on Thursday demonstrated its sea defenses against a potential Chinese attack as tensions rise with Beijing, part of a multitiered strategy to deter an invasion from the mainland.
The island’s navy highlighted its Kuang Hua VI fast attack missile boats and Tuo Chiang-class corvettes in waters near Taiwan’s largest port of Kaohsiung, a major hub for international trade considered key to resupplying Chinese forces should they establish a beachhead on the island.
The Kuang Hua VI boats, with a crew of 19, carry indigenously developed Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missiles and displayed their ability to take to the sea in an emergency to intercept enemy ships about to cross the 44-kilometer (24-nautical mile) limit of Taiwan’s contiguous zone, within which governments are permitted to take defensive action.
China routinely sends ships and planes to challenge Taiwan’s willingness and ability to counter intruders, prompting Taiwan to scramble jets, activate missile systems and dispatch warships. Taiwan demanded on Wednesday that China end its ongoing military activity in nearby waters, which it said is undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and disrupting international shipping and trade.
Mountainous Taiwan's strategy is to counter the much larger Chinese military with a relatively flexible defense that can prevent Chinese troops from crossing the strait. Landing sites are few on Taiwan's west coast facing China, forcing Beijing to focus on the east coast.
Hsiao Shun-ming, captain of a Tuo Chiang-class corvette, said his ship’s relatively small size still allows it to “deliver a formidable competitive power” against larger Chinese ships. The Tuo Chiang has a catamaran design and boasts high speeds and considerable stealth ability.
Taiwan has in recent years reinvigorated its domestic defense industry, although it still relies heavily on US technology such as upgraded fighter jets, missiles, tanks and detection equipment. US law requires it to consider threats to the island as matters of “grave concern,” and American and allied forces are expected to be a major factor in any conflict.
Thursday's exercise “demonstrates the effectiveness of asymmetric warfare, and Taiwan’s commitment to defense self-reliance,” said Chen Ming-feng, rear admiral and commander of the navy’s 192 Fleet specializing in mine detection. “We are always ready to respond quickly and can handle any kind of maritime situation.”
China's authoritarian one-party Communist government has refused almost all communication with Taiwan's pro-independence governments since 2016, and some in Washington and elsewhere say Beijing is growing closer to taking military action.
China considers Taiwan a part of its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary, while most Taiwanese favor their de facto independence and democratic status.