On Wednesday, Burundi’s military said that 10 of its African Union (AU) peacekeepers were killed in an attack on their base in Somalia.

Meanwhile, a security source in the region and a Mogadishu-based source said dozens were dead.

Burundi state television quoted army spokesperson Floribert Biyereke as saying that 25 other soldiers were wounded in Tuesday’s raid on a camp near the village of El Baraf in central Somalia. At the same time, 20 “al Shabaab terrorists” were also killed.

The security source in the region said several follow-up operations were going on after al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants overran the camp the previous day.

He said the total number of casualties was not yet clear, but “dozens” of soldiers were killed, and about 20 were evacuated with wounds.

The African Union and troop-contributing countries typically do not release casualty numbers after attacks.

Neither Burundi nor the AU responded to requests for comment on casualties.

The chairperson of the AU Commissioner, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said he paid tribute to the Burundian peacekeepers who lost their lives but did not say how many died.

“The mujahideen launched a pre-dawn raid on an ATMIS military base in El Baraf,” an al Shabaab statement said. “After a fierce firefight, the mujahideen managed to overrun the base and are now completely controlling the entire military base.”

Mohamed Nur, a resident of El Baraf, said he saw two helicopters shooting as they whirred overhead.

“We were awoken by huge blasts early in the morning. The blasts were at the African Union mission base,” he said.

Farah Hussein, a shopkeeper in El Baraf, said he also saw helicopters.

Local officials in the Shabelle region and the African Union mission did not respond to requests for comment on the attack.

Al Shabaab frequently carries out bombings and gun attacks throughout Somalia.

Last month it attacked the main airport in the capital.

It has previously overrun African Union bases.

(Reuters/NAN)