...... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...holy warrior group grabbed credit.
Residents said the attacks occurred in Bariirre and Awdhegleh villages of Lower Shabelle region, 75 kilometers (46 miles) south of the capital, Mogadishu.
Speaking to local media, Gen. Odawa Yusuf Ragheh, the commander of the Somali National Army, confirmed the twin attacks but said al-Shabaab had been repulsed with "heavy losses" among the holy warriors.
"They even left some of the bodies of their slain commanders," he added, saying his forces were still chasing the fleeing fighters.
Gen. Mohammed Tahlil Bihi, the commander of the infantry forces of the government, told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named that "we lost nine of our soldiers and 11 others got maimed from our side."
He added, "from the Shabaab, we killed 60 of their militias on one spot and 17 others near the other base," he said.
An al-Shabaab front man, Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Musab, asserted that the group had killed 47 government fighters. In a statement read out on the holy warriors’ radio Andalus, he said the simultaneous attacks began with suicide boom-mobiles.
There have been fears that the al-Qaeda-linked group would be emboldened by Somalia’s current political crisis as President Mohammed Abdullahi Mohammed is under pressure to step aside. Elections meant for February have been delayed.
Mogadishu on Saturday witnessed the opening of a meeting between the federal government leaders, including the president, and the leaders of the five federal member states. They were expected to discuss the way forward.