Car bombs hit government military base in southern Somalia - residents

A government military base in the Lower Shabelle region of Somalia was struck by car bombs and gunfire on Wednesday, residents said, and the al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The incident occurred in Awdhigle, an agricultural district along the Shabelle River, 70 km southwest of the capital Mogadishu.

"We heard two huge blasts and gunfire from the direction of the Somali military base. I saw several soldiers running away from the base to escape but we cannot know how many were killed," Awdhigle elder Aden Abdullahi told Reuters.

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