The Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF), which is stationed in Somalia as a support force to the Somalia government to eliminate terrorism, foiled an attacker by Al-Shabaab on June 7, 2023.

Before attackers could cause havoc on the base, ENDF blocked them in their trucks, with one truck exploding at the entrance of the base before they could launch an attack on the forces.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (EMOFA) said the attackers were moving in two vehicles towards the Ethiopian security forces, but the vigilant forces neutralized them in time.

“Due to the swift and decisive actions of the Ethiopian forces, they neutralized the bombers and destroyed weapons that the terrorist group was going to use,” the statement issued by EMOFA read in part.

The Minister further revealed that the forces that are stationed in Somalia are not part of the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) but are currently deployed in Somalia to support the Somalia government’s military campaign aimed at eliminating the terrorist group.

According to the Somalia National News Agency (SONNA), the attack, which involved two vehicles, was promptly foiled by the vigilance of the Ethiopian security forces deployed at the base, resulting in a quick response and the prevention of causalities.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and SONNA did not state whether there were any causalities from the first vehicle that exploded at the entrance.

However, a senior member of the Somalia National Army who confirmed the incident noted that some injuries were recorded due to the explosion of the first vehicle.

“There was an explosion; the first vehicle exploded at the entrance of the base, causing significant damage and injuring four soldiers,” said the senior member of the army.

Nearly two weeks ago, Al-Shabaab attacked an African Union base manned by Ugandan soldiers in Buulo, Mareer, and killed 54 soldiers, and now an attack on the Ethiopian National Defence Forces (ENDF) has been foiled in time.