At least 21 people have died while Somalia fights Jihadists in a remote area

A top army source said that at least 18 al-Shabab terrorists were killed when jihadi fighters tried to attack in a remote part of Somalia early Saturday.

General Mohamed Ahmed Taredisho said by phone that at least three traditional leaders were killed in the fighting near Masagaway town.

Masagaway is in the middle of Galgadud, and it is where a military base is located. Yusuf Sheikh, a local, told The Associated Press that militants attacked the base, took guns, and burned down military cars.

“It was early in the morning, and al-Shabab took over the whole town, including the military base, forcing the government forces to leave the town,” he said.

Sheikh said that the attack killed several people and that others were still missing.

Al-Shabab, which has ties to al-Qaida, fights against the Somali federal government in the city, Mogadishu. After losing control of land in rural areas to government troops, the group has been attacking military sites more often in the past few months.

Al-Shabab members have been fighting for years to turn the country in the Horn of Africa into an Islamic state. Militants have been kept at bay by African Union troops and rare U.S. airstrikes against al-Shabab targets.

Somalia is also going through the worst weather in many years. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres went there earlier this month and asked for “massive international support” for the country.