Mogadishu, Nov 7, (dpa/GNA) – At least 23 people have been killed in recent fighting, between the army and the al-Shabaab group in central Somalia, the military said on Monday.
Hassan Jami’i, a lieutenant with the Somali armed forces, told dpa on Monday that heavily armed fighters belonging to the terrorist militia, attacked a military base early on Monday.
“Six of our soldiers were killed,” Jami’i said.
He said 17 al-Shabaab fighters were killed in the battle, which took place in the central Somali province of Mudug, north of Mogadishu.
The attack was immediately preceded by a suicide bombing.
Al-Shabaab, claimed responsibility for the attack and said it had killed 37 soldiers.
The information could not be independently verified.
For the past several months, the government has been taking military action against al-Shabaab. The group controls large parts of central Somalia and the south of the country.
However, with the support of armed clans and civilians, the Somali military has recently been able to make major territorial gains against al-Shabaab.
GNA