Militants from Somalia's al Shabaab attacked a military base in the central Galgaduud region on Friday, the group and a local government minister said, prompting violent clashes as the army and allied clans sought to repel them.
The early morning attack in the village of Qayib, which included suicide car bombs, comes as government forces have made a number of battlefield gains against al Shabaab in the last three months, regaining territory with the help of clan militias.
The al Qaeda-linked group, which controls swathes of Somalia, had lost the village of Qayib to the government forces a few weeks ago.
