The clash flared up in Jilib-Marka area after heavily armed fighters launched gun attack on police station and military base, a policeman Mohamed Hussein said.

Hussein says the Al-Shabaab fighters raided bases manned by government soldiers, leaving 3 people dead.

Up to 7 other people were reportedly sustained injuries from the latest fighting in the coastal town of Marco

The group’s fighters also fired several mortar rockets at military bases, according to a witness, who asked to be anonymous.

He told Caasimada Online that the skirmish had lasted for an hour, saying both sides used heavy and slight weapons during the fighting.

Neither Somali military nor Al-Shabaab has commented on the gun battle that took place in the coastal town in south of Somalia.

The militant group has lost the coastal town of Marka to Somali army forces following joint military offensive earlier this week.

Al-Shabab has been waging an insurgency in Somalia for more than 10 years.

A 22,000-strong African Union force is in the country to help the government fight the al-Qaeda-linked militants.

The group has been driven out of many urban areas since 2011, however it still controls territory in rural areas and carries out gun attacks and bombings on military and civilian targets.