MOGADISHU, 04 Ramadan,1437 AH, 09 June,2016 , SPA -- Somalia's al Shabaab militant group said it rammed a suicide car bomb into an African Union military base, stormed inside and killed 43 Ethiopian soldiers on Thursday, Reuters reported. Residents near the base in the central town of Halgan said they heard a huge explosion and then heavy exchanges of gunfire shortly before dawn. Shots ran out at least an hour after the initial blast, they added. "We understand there are casualties on both sides. AU forces fought back fiercely and repulsed al Shabaab," Somali military officer Major Abdifatah Elmi told Reuters from Bulaburde town in the region. But he said they did not have figures. -- SPA 11:27 LOCAL TIME 08:27 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w