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Somali presidential palace under al Shabaab militant attack

by Reuters
Tuesday, 8 July 2014 17:00 GMT

MOGADISHU, July 8 (Reuters) - Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants pushed into Somalia's presidential palace and gunfire broke out on Tuesday, an al Shabaab spokesman and a palace official said.

"The militants have partly entered the presidential palace compound. There is periodic gunfire now," an official in the presidential palace who asked not to be named told Reuters. "I understand most attackers have been killed. No further details."

Al Shabaab confirmed they were involved. "We have entered the so-called presidential palace. We have now captured some parts of the palace and fighting is still going on," Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operations spokesman told Reuters. (Reporting by Feisal Omar and Abdi Sheikh; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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