Security forces in Somalia repulsed an attack by suicide bombers on a military base in the northeastern region of Puntland on Tuesday, the local state broadcaster and a military official said.
The large and sophisticated attempted attack comes weeks after the semi-autonomous state announced a major offensive against terrorist groups, including the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab.
The deputy speaker of Puntland's parliament was visiting the base at the time of the attack, Captain Yusuf Mohamed, an officer in Puntland's counter-terrorism forces, told Reuters.
He said nine suicide bombers had been killed and several soldiers had been injured.
Security threat
Puntland State TV said on Facebook eight suicide bombers were among those killed in the raid near the town of Dharjaale in the Bari region.
Somalia's information minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The insurgent group has been based in the mountainous areas of Puntland.
For many years, it was considered a minor security threat in the Horn of Africa country compared with al-Shabaab.
'Copying al-Shabaab's tactics'
In recent years, however, the Somali franchise has refashioned itself as an important part of the insurgent group's worldwide network, with its head, Abdulqadir Mumin, being named its global leader by some media outlets.
"This looks like a preemptive strike to send a message before Puntland's upcoming offensive," said Jay Bahadur, co-director of Scopus, a regionally focused investigative consultancy.
"If this included a vehicle bomb, it appears that they are directly trying to copy al-Shabaab's tactics of complex attacks."
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