MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Islamic extremists overran an African Union base in southern Somalia after a firefight with troops there early Tuesday, a Somali military official said.

The attack in the small farming town of Janale started with a suicide car bombing at the base's gate, followed by a firefight which lasted more than an hour, said Col. Ahmed Hassan.

The African Union force in Somalia, known by its acronym as AMISOM, inisted on Twitter that it is still in control of the base.

The Islamic extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had killed many troops.

Hassan told The Associated Press by phone that the militants overran the base after damaging a nearby bridge with a massive bomb to prevent troops from escaping.

There were no official details about casualties.

Despite losing most of its key strongholds in south and central Somalia, al-Shabab continues to carry out attacks on the government and African Union troops across the Horn of Africa nation.

In June, al-shabab fighters overran another African Union base in Lego, a small town in the Lower Shabelle region in southern Somalia, killing dozens of soldiers and seizing military armaments.