Leatherback sea turtle nesting season begins in SanibelA warmer Thursday start with stray showers this afternoon
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Islamic extremists overran an African Union base in southern Somalia after a firefight with troops there early Tuesday, a Somali military official said. The attack in the small farming town of Janale started with a suicide car bombing at the base’s gate, followed by a firefight which lasted more than an hour, said Col. Ahmed Hassan. The Islamic extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had killed many troops. Hassan told The Associated Press by phone that the militants overran the base after damaging a nearby bridge with a massive bomb to prevent troops from escaping. There were no official details about casualties. Despite losing most of its key strongholds in south and central Somalia, al-Shabab continues to carry out attacks on the government and African Union troops across the Horn of Africa nation. In June, al-shabab fighters overran another African Union base in Lego, a small town in the Lower Shabelle region in southern Somalia, killing dozens of soldiers and seizing military armaments.