At least five people were killed and ten others wounded in heavy fighting between Somali government forces backed by local clan militia forces and al Shabab in Qayib village in Galgadud region early hours on Monday.
Residents said the fight started with a suicide car bomb attack on an army base, followed by a fierce battle between the two sides in which they used various weapons.
Defence ministry spokesman Abdullahi Ali Anod told the state-owned-media that the army repulsed the attack on the base housing national and local troops in Qayib, a village captured from al Shabaab last week.
The joint forces have successfully ousted al-Shabaab fighters from several key villages in central Somalia in the last four months.
On Sunday, NISA agents conducted an operation in Galka Salimow in the Middle Shabelle region, killing 21 al-Shabaab fighters and wounding ten others.
