Somali militants attack base, kill at least four soldiers

Gunmen from Somali militant group al Shabaab on Monday attacked a military base in central Somalia, killing at least four soldiers, officials and militants said.

Al Shabaab, which wants to topple a Western-backed government in Mogadishu, has in the past stepped up the number of raids during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began in mid-June and ends this week.

Captain Nur Olow, a military officer from Rage Ceele, in Middle Shabelle region in central Somalia, said two al Shabaab fighters were killed during the raid.

"Al Shabaab attacked us early in the morning – we lost four soldiers but repulsed them," Olow said.

Al Shabaab's military operations spokesman, Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, told Reuters his fighters had killed a dozen soldiers in the raid.

In the past, al Shabaab has exaggerated the number of soldiers it has killed, while officials have played down losses.