AATO (SD) – Reports from Aato of Bakool region, indicate that there was a fierce battle today between the Somali regional government of Ethiopia’s Liyuu Police forces and Al-Shabaab.

Reports say that the Al Shabaab group launched a heavy attack this morning, which first started with artillery, then followed by a face-to-face battle with local government forces.

An statement from Al Shabaab claimed to have killed 103 policemen and injured many others, in today’s attack.

Al Shabaab spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab said in their attack today, they’ve inflicted heavy losses to the Liyuu Police.

Residents of the area told local media that the fighting is still going on, it is not possible to report the losses, as people have been hankered down in their homes, while this renewed conflict affected businesses, and public movement.

This is the second time that the Al-Shabaab group has attacked the Aato area within the last two weeks.

The previous attack, Al-Shabaab claimed to have killed 85 soldiers, while AFRICOM recently confirmed that the Al-Shabaab entered 150 km into Ethiopian territory.