On Friday, authorities reported an intense fight between villagers and Al-Shabaab militants in Ba’adweyne.
Today, villagers have indicated that more than 40 fatalities were involved in the incident.
According to the villagers, 14 of their colleagues were killed in the deadly gunfight while around 30 members of the Al-Qaeda linked group died too.
Initially, there had been no reports of casualties involved in the incident.
Villagers who spoke to the media stated that they engaged the extremists to avoid handing over their weapons to the militants.
Furthermore, the villagers also clarified that they were not ready to lose their young sons to the notorious militia group.
They now ask authorities to investigate the matter further and to improve security in the area.