Five killed in Shabab attack on Somali military base

MOGADISHU - Islamist al Shabab militants on Friday killed five soldiers at a Somali military base in a town recently re-captured by the government, troops and residents said.

The attack was eventually repelled, an officer at the base in the central Somali town of Galcad told Reuters. He said the dead included the base's deputy commander, who was part of a US-trained unit stationed there.

The attack underscores the formidable threat al Shabab poses for Somalia's military, even after a government offensive launched last year scored significant success against the al Qaeda-allied militants.

Al Shabab fighters stormed the Galcad base early on Friday, exploding car bombs and firing their weapons, Captain Issa Abdullahi said.

The base is run by Danab, a unit of US-trained commandos who have participated in the offensive against the militants.

"So far we know the deputy commander of the Danab commando force, Major Hassan Mohamed Osman (Ture) and four others were killed," Abdullahi said.

In a statement al Shabab claimed responsibility, saying it had "miraculously overrun the US-trained forces" in the town and killed scores of soldiers.

The group has been fighting since 2006 to topple the country's central government and install its own rule, based on a strict interpretation of Islam.

Drones deployed to help reinforce the military carried out bombings against the militants and chased them out of the town, Abdullahi said, adding ten insurgents had been killed in the operation.

Government forces just this week seized Galcad and the port town of Harardhere in Somalia's Galmudug region from al Shabab control, a major success for the ongoing government offensive.

Galcad resident Abdullahi Nur told Reuters he heard huge blasts at the base, followed by heavy fighting and air strikes early on Friday.

"We have been celebrating the liberation of the town but it is now covered with smoke. May God save us," he said.