MOGADISHU, Somalia, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The African Union denied that 70 soldiers apparently killed by the militant group al-Shabaab in Mogadishu came from its ranks.
Al-Shabaab spokesman Ali Mohamed Raghe claimed his fighters killed 70 AU soldiers in clashes on the outskirts of Mogadishu. He claimed they were Burundian troops fighting with the AU, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Last week, AU Gen. Fred Mugisha told the BBC that his troops, along with forces loyal to the transitional government, controlled nearly all of Mogadishu. A Ugandan spokesman for the peacekeeping mission said there were fringe sections of the city under al-Shabaab control but most of the key buildings in the capital were held by pro-government forces.
An AU spokesman said 10 of its soldiers were killed during recent fighting and two were reportedly missing, noting al-Shabaab's claims were likely propaganda, the BBC reports. The British broadcaster notes, however, that the AU has been wary of acknowledging heavy losses in the past.
The violence comes as Kenyan forces last weekend sent forces into Somalia to take on al-Shabaab, which has pledged allegiance to al-Qaida. Nairobi said the measure was in self-defense following a series of kidnappings along the Kenyan-Somali border.
