Somali forces hold a key base following an Al-Shabaab attack

 
Somali government forces were able to repel an Al-Shabaab attack on a major military base in the Lower Shabelle region in the south of the country.

Officials said that hundreds of gunmen attacked government forces in the town of Odigli, located on the bank of the Shabelle River, early on Sunday.

The attack led to the outbreak of violent fighting between Al-Shabaab fighters and government forces that have controlled the town since August 2019, when they expelled the militants from it.

Local residents reported that the militants who attacked the town from two directions - the north and the west - entered parts of the base before government forces overcame them.