Al-Shabaab kills 4 African Union peacekeepers in Somalia - AA

Twin blasts targeted Burundian soldiers serving under the African Union peacekeeping mission (AMISOM) in southern Somalia on Saturday, a security official said.

The official, who spoke to Anadolu Agency over the phone on the condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to media, said Burundian peacekeepers hit two improvised explosive devices while patrolling on foot between the vicinity of Buurane and Mahaday towns in the Middle Shabelle region.

Al-Shabaab, a Somali-based al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group, claimed responsibility for the attack on the African Union peacekeepers, saying it had killed four Burundian soldiers in the attack.

Mahaday, which houses an AMISOM base, is an agricultural town located 118 kilometers (73 miles) north of the Somali capital Mogadishu.