File photo of Al Shabaab militants. (Assoicated Press).
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.
"The fighting happened in the outskirts of the city (Barawe) at night, and we could hear a lot of shelling and gunfire," Omar Nor, a businessman in the area, told Xinhua over phone.
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.
The fighting comes barely a few hours after another deadly clash between government troops and a moderate Islamist group, AhluSunah WalJamaah, which resulted in the death of over 20 people in Guricel town, 400 km north of Mogadishu.