AT least 12 people are dead after a battle in which Somalia's al-Qaeda-linked Shebab fighters briefly took control of a small town on the Kenyan border, military officials say.
Heavy fighting broke out late on Saturday afternoon in Bulohawo and lasted into the evening, with residents confirming the Shebab took full control of the town for a few hours before Somali troops were able to reinforce their positions.
"The violent elements attacked Bulohawo in late afternoon and after heavy fighting our forces defeated them and inflicted heavy losses on them," Diyad Abdi Kalil, a Somali military commander in the area, told AFP by phone on Sunday.
Casualty estimates varied but most sources agreed at least a dozen people, most of them fighters for the two sides, had been killed.
"The Shebab attacked the town from three directions and penetrated the barracks of the Somali troops after heavy fighting. They briefly took control of the town but were later forced back. Twelve people, most of them the fighters from the two sides, died," said resident Sadik Mohamed.
Another, Hussein Mahat Abdulle, confirmed he had seen bodies in government uniform as well as bodies of what looked like Shebab fighters.
Kalil said his men had killed "nearly 20" Shebab but a spokesman for the Islamists dismissed the claim and said his men had killed 15 Somali government troops.
"Today was a victorious day for the mujahedeen fighters who carried out several military operations, the main attack was against the apostate militants helping the infidels at Bulohawo," said Shebab spokesman Sheik Abdiasis Abu Mus'ab.
"The Mujahedeen fighters penetrated their defences and took control of the city for many hours. Around 15 of the apostate militia were killed," he said, referring to the Somali government troops fighting alongside regional armies to overcome the Shebab.
Bulohawo, which lies just across the border from the town of Mandera in the extreme northeast of Kenya, has been calm since, residents said.
Officials said two civilians in Mandera town had been hit by gunfire during the fighting.
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