MOGADISHU: Somalia’s Al-Shabab fighters attacked a military base outside the capital Mogadishu using car bombs and guns, killing 17 soldiers and taking control of the base and a nearby town, the group said on Friday.
Residents and officials confirmed the attack, but gave no details on casualties.
“After morning prayer today, two Mujahideen rammed into Barire military base with suicide car bombs. We killed 17 soldiers and took seven technical vehicles,” Abdiasis Abu Musab, Al-Shabab’s military operation spokesman, told Reuters on Friday, referring to pick-up trucks mounted with machine guns.
“The other soldiers ran helter skelter into the woods. We now control the base and the village.”
Barire is 50 kilometers southwest of Mogadishu.
Al-Shabab aims to topple the government in Mogadishu and impose its strict owns interpretation of Islam. Somalia has been at war since 1991 when clan-based warlords overthrew dictator Siad Barre and then turned on each other.
The Al-Qaeda-linked group was driven out of the capital in 2011, but still carries out frequent attacks on security and government targets, but also on civilians. They also target African Union peacekeeping troops.
Ali Nur, the deputy governor of Lower Shabelle region where Barire is located, confirmed the fighting but gave no more details on casualties.
Residents in Barire also confirmed the attack.
“First we heard two huge blasts at the base and then heavy exchange of gunfire followed. Now it looks like the fighting died down,” Ali Farah told Reuters from Barire village.
Two weeks ago, Al-Shabab attacked an army base at a town near the border with Kenya, while three weeks ago they struck another in the southern port city of Kismayu, killing at least 43 people in both incidents.
Somalia’s Al-Shabab say 17 soldiers killed in attack on military base outside Mogadishu
Somalia’s Al-Shabab say 17 soldiers killed in attack on military base outside Mogadishu
Pakistan, China ink 24 agreements to develop digital corridor for IT cooperation
- Both countries sign one government-to-government, seven government-to-business and 16 business-to-business MoUs
- Digital corridor will create new avenues for Pakistani tech companies, expand cooperation with China in ICT, says state media
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China have signed 24 agreements to develop a digital corridor aimed at enhancing information technology (IT) cooperation between the two states, state-run media reported on Monday.
The memoranda of understanding between the two sides were signed in Beijing, according to the state-owned Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
The MoUs include one government-to-government, seven government-to-business and 16 business-to-business agreements.
“The initiative focuses on developing an innovative and pragmatic digital corridor to enhance cooperation in the IT industry,” APP reported.
APP said the digital corridor will create new avenues for Pakistani tech companies and expand bilateral cooperation with China in the information and communication technology infrastructure development.
The development is in line with Pakistan’s recent efforts to boost IT exports and enhance digital cooperation with regional allies.
In November, Pakistan highlighted the “Digital Silk Road” as the next major phase of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) while proposing new technology partnerships with Beijing, including joint ventures in 5G/6G, hardware manufacturing and ICT components.
Launched in 2015, CPEC is a multibillion-dollar connectivity program linking western China to the Arabian Sea. The initiative has historically focused on energy projects, highways, power plants and the Gwadar port, with committed investments estimated at around $60 billion.
As the two countries enter CPEC’s second phase, cooperation is expanding beyond physical infrastructure into technology, digital governance, manufacturing and skills development.
The Digital Silk Road is Beijing’s framework for cross-border connectivity in fiber, cloud services, data routing, smart manufacturing and emerging technologies. It is increasingly positioned as the backbone of CPEC’s next stage.
