Somali army halts al-Shabab assaults on two bases

(MENAFN) On Saturday, Apr. 3 the Somali National Army (SNA) affirmed that its forces had stopped two massive assaults by al-Shabab rebels on its two bases in southern Somalia. The SNA stated the dawn assaults by the militant outfit on Awdhigle and Bariire regions in the Lower Shabelle region did not occur, denying the militants' claims that the two military bases were hit by explosives. The SNA stated in a report: "the SNA forces prevented al-Shabab from using explosives in the attack." The militant outfit had previously declared to have overrun two military bases in Bariire and Awdhigle in concurrent assaults utilizing two vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices.