Heavy fighting between the Jubbaland state forces and Al-Shabaab occurred in the Sijngaleyr area near the southern port city of Kismayo.

The battle came after Al-Shabaab fighters attacked the Jubbaland military base, which is used to protect the security of Kismayo, the capital of the Lower Jubba region.

It is not known the official casualties caused by the attack, which residents said was very intense and lasted for almost an hour, in which different types of weapons were used.

Preliminary reports say that the commander of the Jubbaland army in Singaleyr area and two other soldiers were injured in the gunfight between the two sides.

Kismayo lies about 500 kilometers south of Mogadishu, the Somali capital. It has been under Kenyan army control since 2012.

Al-Shabaab often carries out such attacks on Jubbaland and Kenyan troops who are part of the ATMIS - African Union Transitional Mission in Somalia.

Jubaland has recently announced it readied a fresh push to retake the areas that remained under Al-Shabaab, a decision that came after President declared in 2022 an all-out war.