US and Somali troops step up at Baledogle after Shabaab attack

Somali elite forces backed by US soldiers have enhanced operations to secure Balidogle military base on the outskirts of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

Heavily armed Al-Shabaab fighters have stormed the base with four vehicles laden with explosives.

The U.S army is in the process of installing internet systems to link up Baledogle base in Lower Shabelle region with Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, according to the Indian Ocean Newsletter.

The publication notes the U.S army intends to subcontract the project to ‘an external telecommunications operator with the capacity to cater rapidly to its requirements.’

The Defense Department also announced this year it was contracting the upgrade of the base at a cost of $12 million.

The US base is located in the south of the East African nation, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of Mogadishu. American forces use the base to train Somali commando units.

The Baledogle base functions as a training camp for Somali soldiers.