The Al-Qaeda-linked group has fought the government for two decades and still controls large parts of central Somalia despite a major international campaign against it. (EPA Images pic)MOGADISHU: Islamist insurgent group Al-Shabaab claimed to have killed hundreds of Somali government troops in an ambush on Monday.
The Al-Qaeda-linked group has been fighting the government for two decades and still controls large swathes of central Somalia despite a massive international operation against it.
According to the SITE Intelligence Group, Al-Shabaab issued a statement late Monday saying it had launched an attack on Turkish-trained government troops and an allied militia -- supported by Turkish fighter jets -- in the Lower Shabelle region, resulting in the deaths of 321 troops.
