NAIROBI, Kenya 

Somalia’s military said it repulsed an al-Shabaab attack on a military base on Wednesday morning, killing at least 20 terrorists and injuring dozens more. 

The terror group tried to storm a base in Yasooman, an area in the central Hiran region, at around dawn, the military said in a statement.

The attack was foiled with the help of locals who provided vital information to Somali forces, it added.

The army said at least three Somali soldiers were killed in the fighting.

Somalia has been grappling with increasing insecurity for years, with al-Shabaab being one of the main threats in the Horn of Africa country.

Since 2007, the terrorist group has waged a deadly campaign against the Somali government and international forces.

The UN has also warned of growing instability in the country, with its periodic reports on Somalia this year detailing attacks by al-Shabaab and pro-Daesh/ISIS groups.

There were at least 1,518 civilian casualties – 651 killed and 867 injured – in terrorist attacks in Somalia in 2018, followed by 1,459 – 591 killed and 868 injured – in 2019, according to the UN in Somalia.