In Somalia, fighting between the army and the al-Shabab militia continues unabated.
On Tuesday, fighters from the Islamist group attacked a military base in the center of the East African country.
The attack on the base, located about 60 kilometers north of the capital Mogadishu, began with a car bomb, after which fighters stormed the site.
According to official figures, five soldiers were killed, including the commander;
others were injured.
According to other sources, the number of victims was higher.
Army chief Odowaa Yusuf Rage said the "courageous Somali soldiers" repelled the attack.
21 Al-Shabab fighters were killed.
Christian Meier
Political correspondent for the Middle East and Northeast Africa.
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Al-Shabab controlled the base until October, but then lost it to the Somali army and militiamen allied with it.
In the summer, the government under the new President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud intensified the fight against the Islamists belonging to the al-Qaeda network.
She works with tribes, among others.
In addition, the United States is again supporting the Somali military with airstrikes.
Pressure on the al-Shabab militia, which controls parts of central and southern Somalia, has since increased.
Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre recently said that around 2,000 militia fighters had been killed in the past six months.
On Monday, the government announced a "historic victory" after winning back a strategically located coastal town.
Harardhere in the central Somali state of Galmudug, long a haven for pirates, had been under the rule of al-Shabab for about a decade.
Important supply lines for the Islamists ran there.
Even though al-Shabab repeatedly carries out deadly attacks, the Islamists seem to be getting on the defensive.
Last week, representatives of al-Shabab rejected government claims that parts of the group had signaled their willingness to negotiate for the first time.