Residents said the attacks at the army bases occurred in Bariirre and Awdhegleh villages of Lower Shabelle region, 75 kilometres (46 miles) south of Mogadishu. Speaking to the local media, Gen. Odawa Yusuf Ragheh, the commander of the Somali National Army, confirmed the twin attacks but said al-Shabab had been repulsed with "heavy losses" among the extremists. "They even left some of the bodies of their slain commanders," he added, saying his forces were still chasing fleeing fighters. Gen. Mohamed Tahlil Bihi, the commander of the government's infantry forces, told the AP that "we lost nine of our soldiers and 11 others got wounded from our side."