Ten soldiers were killed following an attack on the Somali army base, located south-west of the country's capital of Mogadishu, by terrorist organisation Al Shabaab on Monday morning.
The militants collided with a vehicle full of explosives, after which they stormed into the army base and murdered 10 soldiers, the group and a military officer were quoted by Reuters as saying.
"A suicide car bomb rammed into the base and then al-Shabaab fighters stormed it. At least 10 soldiers died... Heavy exchange of gunfire continued for hours," Major Ahmed Farah was quoted by Al Jazeera as saying, while adding that around 12 al Shabaab militants were also killed in the firing.
However, Al Shabaab spokesperson Abdiasis Abu Musab was quoted by Reuters as saying that the gunfire, which lasted for several hours, claimed the lives of 30 soldiers before the group finally withdrew. Musab did not reveal the number of casualties in the militant group.
Al Shabaab is known for citing figures that are higher than that of the officials.
The attack was a part of Al Shabaab's campaign to overthrow the Somali government and establish its interpretation of Islam. It has launched several attacks on Somali security forces and government officials in the past for the same purpose.
One officer was injured after over 100 fighters of the terrorist group stormed into a Kenyan police station late in the night on Sunday to get hold of weapons and ammunition, Al Jazeera reported, citing the police.
