Shabab attack on Somali base kills 73 soldiers
Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab militants have attacked an army base near the Somali capital, claiming to have killed at least 73 soldiers.
The militants said in a radio broadcast and an online message that the government forces were killed in the Monday attack against the Lanta-Buro military camp 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of Mogadishu.
They added that military pick-up trucks, ammunition and weapons were also seized during the raid.
Meanwhile, Somali military official Abdulahi Ibrahim confirmed the attack but did not elaborate on the number of casualties.
Senior military commander Ahmed Absuge Abdulle denied al-Shabab's claims that the military base was destroyed, saying the government forces repelled the attack and killed an unspecified number of militants.
The development came shortly after African Union troops from Kenya said they had killed at least 34 al-Shabab militants in two separate attacks on Saturday and Sunday.
Somalia has been the scene of deadly fighting between government forces and al-Shabab elements since 2006.
The militants have been pushed out of Mogadishu and other major cities by government troops and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), which is largely made up of troops from Ethiopia, Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Sierra Leone, and Kenya.
Al-Shabab members have, however, continued to carry out attacks in Mogadishu despite being driven out from their bases in the seaside city in 2011.
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