Two soldiers killed in military base clash in Mogadishu

NAIROBI, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Two soldiers died and five others were injured in a clash between troops trained by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Somali National Army (SNA) at a military base in Mogadishu on Monday.

The two died in a fierce gunfight that broke out when a group of UAE-trained soldiers tried to take some military hardware from a former UAE-run training base, barely a week after the Gulf nation's trainers left.

"Two soldiers died in the gunfight while five others who sustained injuries have been rushed to hospital," a military commander who did not want to be named told Xinhua.

Chief of the Somali army Abdiwali Jama Gorod, who also confirmed the incident, said those behind the fight have been arrested.

"We have arrested the soldiers and the officers who were behind the incident and (they) will be brought to law," said Gorod.

Residents said the fight caused scare in the area.

"We felt panic when the army fought but they have now stopped, " an eyewitness, Ali Sabriye, told Xinhua.

The Somali army took over the camp on Saturday following the exit of UAE trainers amid a diplomatic spat between the two countries.

The UAE has been training Somali soldiers as part of stabilization efforts in the Horn of Africa nation that is facing almost daily attacks from al-Shabab terrorists.

Also on Monday, security forces repulsed an al-Shabab attack in southern Somalia.

A military commander in the coastal city of Kismayo told Xinhua that the militants attacked a checkpoint but were pushed back.

"Al-Shabab attacked a checkpoint where our forces were stationed but the forces fought back and inflicted casualties on them," Ibrahim Farah said.

The military official did not say if the security forces suffered any casualties.

Residents told Xinhua that the attack lasted close to an hour.

"The situation has now stabilized," Abdinari Mohamed, a local trader, told Xinhua.

The al-Qaida affiliated al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack. Enditem