Car bombs target U.S. military base in Somalia

Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Al-Shabab militants attacked a U.S. airbase in Somalia Monday with a combination of car bombs and small arms fire, authorities said.

The group claimed responsibility for the attack at the Ballidogle air base, located about 55 miles from the capital Mogadishu.

Two car bombs were detonated at the base, in Somalia's Lower Shabelle region.

"After breaching the perimeters of the heavily fortified base, the Mujahideen stormed the military complex, engaging the crusaders in an intense firefight," the group said in a statement.

The al-Qaida-linked militant group is also suspected in another car bomb attack in Mogadishu that targeted a European Union military convoy.