At least 10 people were killed Friday when al-Shabaab fighters attacked a Somali military base, a military commander in the region said.
Six militants and four Somali soldiers were killed in the attack in the Lower Shabelle region early on Friday morning, Abdikafi Hilowle told dpa.
“Tensions are still running high in the area as al-Shabaab fighters arrived in a large number, capturing many parts of that town this morning,” Hilowle said.
“Somali troops are still struggling to hold barracks and fight back,” he said.
Residents in the area said they heard a loud explosion followed by a gun battle. It is unclear whether that explosion came from a suicide car bombing.
The attack is the latest by the al-Qaeda linked group in a series of assaults on African Union (AU) peacekeepers and Somali forces.
A senior Somali security official in Mogadishu told dpa that al-Shabaab has retaken control of Janaale, an agriculturally-rich region in the south of Somalia.
“Heavily armed militants captured Janaale shortly after AU troops vacated the area late yesterday,” the official said.
Earlier this month 50 AU troops from Uganda were killed after a surprise attack by the militants.
