MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia's extremist rebels have killed at least eight soldiers in an ambush in the country's south, said a military official.

Two other soldiers are missing after an attack on a military convoy traveling between the towns of Afoye and Wanlaweyn in Lower Shabelle region, Col. Ahmed Hassan said Thursday.

Somalia's al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaida, has claimed responsibility for the attack. The extremist group said it killed at least 25 soldiers, a claim dismissed by the Somali military.

Al-Shabab fighters often attack troops traveling on the major roads between the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and nearby regions.

The latest attack comes after Somalia’s intelligence agency said it seized nearly 80 tons of sulfuric acid, preventing the chemical from being smuggled into territory held by al-Shabab, which would have used it to make explosives. Several people involved in the smuggling have been arrested, according to the intelligence agency.