MOGADISHU: Islamist insurgent group Al-Shabaab claimed to have killed hundreds of Somali government troops in an ambush on Monday.
The Al-Qaeda-linked group has been fighting the government for two decades and still controls large swathes of central Somalia despite a massive international operation against it.
According to the SITE Intelligence Group, Al-Shabaab issued a statement late Monday saying it had launched an attack on Turkish-trained government troops and an allied militia -- supported by Turkish fighter jets -- in the Lower Shabelle region, resulting in the deaths of 321 troops.
The toll could not be independently verified, and the government did not immediately offer a response.
The fighting, near the city of Leego, continued for three hours and resulted in the seizure of prisoners, weapons and vehicles, according to Al-Shabaab's statement.
Local media platform Baidoa Online said the government had called an emergency meeting of the cabinet to discuss the "heavy casualties and substantial military equipment losses during intense fighting with Al-Shabaab militants near Leego".
Turkey has emerged as a key backer of the Somali government at a time when the United States and other key donors are pulling back from supporting the counter-insurgency.
Washington has stopped funding the vital United Nations logistics mission that supplies combat operations in the country, saying the government has failed to make progress in uniting the country and tackling the insurgent threat.