Mogadishu: An African Union military base in Somalia was attacked on Friday by Islamist Al-Shabab fighters, the AU force reported without mentioning any casualties.

For more than 15 years, the Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group has waged an insurgency against the fragile nation's central government in the Horn of Africa.

The army base in Bulo Marer, 120 kilometres (75 miles) southwest of the capital Mogadishu, "came under Al-Shabab attack," according to a statement posted on Facebook and Twitter by the AU force known as ATMIS.

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Without going into further detail, it said that "ATMIS forces are currently evaluating the security situation."

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In an operation supported by ATMIS and US airstrikes, the army and "macawisley" militias have recently taken back large areas of land in the troubled country's centre.

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The militants have persisted in attacking military and civilian targets with lethal force despite the gains made by the pro-government forces.
The education ministry in Mogadishu was the target of two car bombings in October that killed 121 people, making it the deadliest Al-Shabab attack since the offensive's inception last year.