Al-Shabab militants attack African Union base

The Somali militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for Thursday's attack, claiming its fighters had killed several African soldiers during the operation.

"Our fighters have entered AU's Halane base by force through the gate and now fighting is going on inside the base," Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, the Islamist group's military operation spokesman, told the Reuters news agency.

Later, the Associated Press quoted a spokesman for the AU force, known by its acronym AMISOM, who said at least three militants had entered the base, which is located near Mogadishu's airport and is protected by a tight security cordon and blast walls. Colonel Ali Aden Houmed said three of them were shot dead, while two blew themselves up near a fuel depot and three others were thought to have escaped.

While confirming that the attack had taken place, Houmed not confirm how many, or even if there had been any casualties among members of the AU force.

Earlier news agencies quoted witnesses near the scene, who reported hearing gunfire and explosions coming from around the AU base, which also houses UN offices as well as the British and Italian embassies.

The UN representative to Somalia, Nicholas Kay used the micro-blogging website Twitter to condemn the attack.

Separately, Reuters cited a UN spokesperson, who said all UN staff were safe and accounted for.

The AU currently has around 22,000 soldiers in Somalia as part of the force, known by the acronym AMISOM. The first was first deployed to the country in 2007 and in 2011 managed to push al-Shabab out of Mogadishu.

New premier vows to end infighting

The attack comes a day after Somali lawmakers approved the appointment of a new prime minister, the third in just over a year after the previous two fell out with the president. Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Shamarke has vowed to end the political infighting that has hampered the country's efforts to rebuild after decades of armed conflict and instability.

"I will soon name an all-inclusive cabinet of ministers," Sharmarke said after 218 of the 224 lawmakers present in the legislature voted to endorse his appointment.

pfd/mg (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)