Three UAE soldiers killed in attack on military base in Somalia

Three soldiers from the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces and an officer from the Bahrain Defense Force were killed in an attack at a military base in Somalia’s capital. The attack took place at the General Gordon military base in Mogadishu. UAE personnel had been training soldiers from the Somali Armed Forces as part of an agreement between the UAE and Somalia. The gunman was a newly trained Somali soldier who opened fire on the UAE trainers and Somali military officials during prayer. The al Qaeda-linked terror group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack. The UAE army official stated that the soldier had defected from al-Shabaab before being recruited as a soldier by Somalia and UAE. Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud condemned the attack and ordered an investigation. The UAE pledged to cooperate with the Somali government in investigating the terrorist attack and reiterated its commitment to combat terrorism and maintain peace in the region.