Somali troops repel Baidoa opposition attack

On Monday, Somali federal troops repelled an attack by opposition fighters loyal to former Somalia — South West State of Somalia president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen in Baidoa, the largest city in Somalia — South West State of Somalia. The assault began before dawn with vehicles laden with explosives. The Defence Ministry reported killing about 30 attackers and driving them out of the city. Laftagareen's camp claimed on Facebook to have captured the city center, but residents confirmed federal forces retained control. The clashes were the fiercest since March, when federal forces seized Baidoa after Laftagareen severed ties with the central government over constitutional amendments by President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud that extended his term and altered power-sharing. The ministry accused Laftagareen's forces of collaborating with Al-Shabab. The fighting exacerbated a dire humanitarian crisis in Baidoa, where one in four children at displacement sites are severely malnourished, according to Médecins Sans Frontières.