Somali army spokesman Abukar Mohamed Hassan told dpa that the Al-Shabaab group carried out "a massive assault" from different directions, in the Eldheer district, with suicide bombers and heavily armed militants.
"Our national armed forces and local armed militias fought hard to deny the militants from taking over the district, killing more than 20 terrorists," he said.
Hassan said that the country's international partners were supporting the army in the air.
Although he did not name which foreign powers were involved in Saturday's air strikes, Turkey and the US routinely provide military support to the Somali army.
He added that at least two Somali soldiers and three local clan militias fighting alongside the army were killed in today's attack.
Al-Shabaab said on its Radio Andalus that its fighters had captured four army bases around Eldheer, killing dozens of soldiers.
These claims could not be immediately verified.
Muhyadiin Arabow, a local elderman, told dpa that the fighting lasted about four hours, forcing a number of residents to flee their homes.
He said Al-Shabaab rammed explosive-laden vehicles into the army posts in the area, which had destroyed civilian homes.
"I saw eight civilians with gun wounds. Both sides used heavy weapons and explosions which made the situation very stressful," he added.
Al-Shabaab, a terrorist militia linked to al-Qaeda, has been carrying out repeated attacks in the country of 18 million inhabitants in the Horn of Africa for years.
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