At least 10 Al Shabaab militants were killed and scores of others injured early Wednesday in heavy fighting between African Union (AU) forces and the Al Qaeda-affiliated militant group in southern Somalia's Barawe town, an official said.
Lower Shebelle's Governor Abdulkadir Mohamed Nor Sidii confirmed the killings, saying the Somali National Army (SNA) and the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) clashed with Al Shabaab militants.
"The fighting ran into the night and early hours of today. The combined force of AMISOM and SNA killed 10 militants, but we also lost a regional officer who was killed at his home," Xinhua news agency quoted Sidii as saying.
Barawe, which was considered the last stronghold of Al Shabaab, fell into government control late last year after a joint AMISOM-SNA assault, dubbed the Indian Ocean Operation.
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