MOGADISHU, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- At least two soldiers and a civilian were killed and five others injured in an attack by Al-Shabaab militants on a base of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in the central Somali town of Beledweyne on Tuesday.
AMISOM force spokesperson Joe Kibet said a suicide bomber detonated a car laden with explosives outside the entrance of the AMISOM base at noon, after which ten militants moved in and there was an exchange of fire.
The ten attackers were killed while two soldiers died and five others were injured, Kibet told Xinhua.
He added that reinforcement from a nearby base rushed to the scene after the attack took place, and that the situation is now under control.
A local resident told Xinhua the explosion shook the whole town and caused panic.
"I saw a dead woman and four other civilians injured... the explosion was too huge," he said.
The Islamist group Al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack, claiming 17 Djiboutian soldiers were killed on spot.
Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has condemned the attack on the AMISOM base run by Djiboutian troops.
President Mohamud said he had spoken to Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh and shared the sorrow towards the killed soldiers.
AMISOM force is helping the Somali government battle Al-Shabaab militants, who control some areas in southern Somalia and stage frequent attacks in the country.
