Islamist militants¹ have made a surprise attack on a south-western town used by Ethiopian and Somali government-backed troops as a base to launch assaults.

索马里伊斯兰激进分子突袭了西南部某镇，该镇为埃塞俄比亚政府和索马里政府支持的军队发动突袭的基地。

The al-Shabab fighters used heavy weaponry in the attack on Garbaharey, which it controlled until a year ago.

Two senior military officers were killed and several wounded, a Somali MP and other officials told the BBC.

This is the first major attack by al-Shabab since it lost control last week of Baidoa, an important stronghold.

BBC Somali Service analyst² Abdullahi Sheikh says the Garbaharey attack was a major military operation - and a strong indication that the movement's retreat from key positions does not mean it has given up the fight.

He says al-Shabab, which recently announced it was joining al-Qaeda, may be weakened - but it is far from a spent force and still controls swathes（带子 ，绷带） of territory in south and central Somalia.

MP injured

Garbaharey has a major presence of heavily armed Ethiopian forces, which are supporting Somali government troops and local militia³, and has been under their control for almost a year.

Al-Shabab fighters used mortars⁴（迫击炮） and vehicles mounted with guns - known as "technicals" - and the overnight fighting lasted for hours.

"Garbaharey remains⁵ under our control," Muhummad Sayyid Adan, an MP for the area who was injured in the fighting, told the BBC Somali Service.

"We lost two men in the fighting, and the injuries of those who were wounded are not that serious."

Last week, Ethiopian and Somali troops took over Baidoa, 150km (90 miles) east of Garbaharey, which is just under 100km from the Kenyan and Ethiopian borders.

The loss of Baidoa was a blow to al-Shabab, as the main road linking Mogadishu to the south-west and parts of Kenya and Ethiopia passes through the city.

Al-Shabab says it withdrew its forces from Baidoa as part of a "tactical retreat" and threatened to start a guerrilla war in response.

Last week, world leaders meeting in London pledged to boost support for measures to fight piracy⁶, terrorism and political stability in Somalia by substantially increasing international funding for the African Union military operation in the country and working more closely together.