According to media reports, the  US soldiers train commandos in the military base.

Local residents reported heavy blasts and gunfire at Baledogle airport in the southern Lower Shabelle region, reported BBC,

The al-Shabab militant group said it had carried out the attack, using a car bomb to blast through the gates before sending its fighters inside, reported the British news channel.

The attackers have been reportedly pushed back.

SITE Intelligence Group Director Rita Katz tweeted: "Breaking: #Shabaab claims raid at #US base inside #Baledogle Airfield, where US forces train Somali military forces, located sixty miles outside of capital of #Mogadishu, #Somalia."

In a statement, as reported by BBC, Al Shabab said: "After breaching the perimeters of the heavily fortified base, the mujahideen [holy warriors] stormed the military complex, engaging the crusaders in an intense firefight."