Dozens of Somali militaries killed in battle with al Shabaab, soldiers say

Dozens of Somali soldiers were killed in a major battle with al Shabaab in southern Somalia, two soldiers told Reuters, while the defense ministry said government forces killed about 75 militants.

• Somalia's defence ministry said about 75 militants were killed and another 56 were wounded in the fighting in the Jameeco area of Buurhakaba district. The statement did not say how many soldiers were killed or wounded

• Somalia, in the Horn of Africa, has been grappling with a nearly two-decade-long insurgency led by al Shabaab, which seeks to establish its own rule based on its strict interpretation of Sharia law

• The defence ministry said the militants had attacked the national army using vehicles packed with explosives and that some army vehicles were damaged.

• Two soldiers told Reuters that dozens of soldiers were killed in the battle

• One of the soldiers, who gave his name as Ahmed, said he had helped transport 40 dead soldiers and more than 100 wounded to hospitals in the capital Mogadishu

• Another soldier called Farah said al Shabaab car bombs had ruined five military vehicles and estimated that dozens of soldiers were killed in the explosions

• Somalia has endured conflict and clan battles with no strong ⁠central government since the fall of autocratic ruler Mohamed Siad ​Barre in 1991