KISMAYO, Somalia - At least 22 Jubbaland soldiers were killed and scores wounded in massive raid on a remote military base near the port town of Kismayo on Sunday morning, Garowe Online reports.

Al shabaab militants detonated two suicide car bombs that have been described as "massive", apparently one after the other as gunmen stormed the camp in Bulogadud, 30Km north of Kismayo city.

A senior Jubbaland official confirmed to GO that the attack was launched around dawn on Sunday, when al Shabaab fighters used vehicles packed with explosives to try to blast their way into the outpost.

The official who spoke on condition of anonymity has added that Jubbaland troops backed by Kenyan military forces (KDF) and U.S. soldiers recaptured the base hours after militants' withdrawal.

The Al Qaeda affiliated Al Shabaab also claimed to have seized military hardware, including two battle vehicles in the attack. However, GO could not independently verify the information.

The Islamist group has been fighting for almost 8 years to topple the UN-backed Somali Federal government based in Mogadishu, which is backed by 22,000 strong African Union peacekeepers.

GAROWEONLINE