African Union Mission to Somalia
Sheikh Ali Mohamoud Rage, an al-Shabaab spokesman, said his fighters were starting a new war against "invaders," a reference to the 6,000 African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) troops deployed to support Transitional Federal Government forces. He also said that al-Shabaab intends to "eradicate the invaders and apostate government troops. I call on all al-Shabaab troops, beginning at this hour, to invade and destroy all entrenchments of the apostate and Christian troops."