ihadists have attacked a military base where US soldiers train commandos in Somalia, causing casualties, reports say.
Local residents reported heavy blasts and gunfire at Baledogle airport in the southern Lower Shabelle region.
The al-Shabab militant group said it carried out the attack, using a car bomb to blast through the gates before sending its fighters inside.
Military officials say the jihadists have been pushed back.
Al-Shabab launched a "daring raid on the US military base", the group said in a statement.
"After breaching the perimeters of the heavily fortified base, the mujahideen [holy warriors] stormed the military complex, engaging the crusaders in an intense firefight."
Separately, an Italian military convoy was hit by an explosion in the capital Mogadishu, Italy's defence ministry said. No casualties have as yet been reported in this attack./BBC news