Troops from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) fought with extremist group al-Shabaab on Friday after an attack on a military base that left at least 30 soldiers dead. 

Reuters reported that a suicide bomber driving a car filled with explosives is reported to have attempted to forcefully enter the gates of AMISOM's camp in Leego, south of Mogadishu, at dawn on Friday. 

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The attackers used a car bomb to break through the fence of the base, about 140 kilometers (87 miles) from the capital, Mogadishu, before their soldiers opened fire, Feytan Omar, an officer with the Somali army who witnessed the attack, told Bloomberg by phone. 

"A car bomb rammed into the AU base," Somali Major Nur Olow said. "AU forces opened fire at the speeding car bomb (but) the car forced its way in."

"AMISOM confirms there is an ongoing attack at their Leego Somalia base that started this morning," the African Union Mission in Somalia peacekeeping force said on Twitter.

More than 30 peacekeepers were killed when al-Shabaab militants attacked a base in the southern Somali town of Leego on Friday, the Islamist group said in a statement broadcast on Radio Andalus.

The militant Islamist group al-Shabab says its fighters have taken control of the base but this has not been confirmed. 

The Special Representative of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (SRCC) for Somalia and Head of AMISOM, Ambassador Maman Sidikou, has condemned the attack on an AMISOM base in the town of Leego by Al Shabaab militants. 

"This attack will not diminish our resolve to continue to support the Somali Government and people until they are free from terrorism", said Ambassador Sidikou. 

The Islamist militants fighting to overthrow the Western-backed Mogadishu government have often launched attacks during Ramadan. Officials had reportedly deployed additional security because of the heightened security risk.  

TagsAfrican Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), Al Shabaab, Somalia, Al Shabab Leego base attack