By Mohammed Dhaysane
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - At least 11 people, including Somali government soldiers and al-Shabaab fighters, were killed when the terrorist group stormed an army base on Sunday morning, officials said.
Mukhtar Abdi Mohamed, a colonel from the Jubaland state, told local media that at least four soldiers and seven al-Shabaab militants were killed and more than 10 people from both sides were wounded when the insurgents attacked an army base in the town of Bulo-gadud near Somalia's port city of Kismayo.
"It was very early on Sunday morning when an al-Shabaab suicide car bomb exploded at our base, and minutes later fierce fighting took place," he said.
Gen. Ismail Sahardid from the Somali National Army told state-run news agency SONNA that it had killed more 20 al-Shabaab militants during the fighting.
"We heard a huge explosion, then two hours of fierce fighting took place," one eyewitness told Anadolu Agency, speaking on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns.
The Somali-based terrorist group al-Shabaab claimed it had killed more than 26 government soldiers and seized three military vehicles.
Bulo-gudud is located 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the strategic port city of Kismayo, itself 482 km (299 mi) south of the nation’s capital Mogadishu.