Al-Shabab fighters have killed at least fourteen Somali soldiers in an attack on a military checkpoint south of the capital, Mogadishu.

Heavily armed fighters from the military wing of the Union of the Islamic Courts (UIC), al-Shabab, attacked and took control of Sarkuusta checkpoint near an Ethiopian base in southern Mogadishu, Press TV's Somali correspondent reported Wednesday.

They left the checkpoint after firing several mortars 19 of which landed on a nearby Ethiopian base.

Ethiopian soldiers flocked to the scene and went on a shooting spree, killing three civilians.

Also on Wednesday, two Somali soldiers were killed by unknown gunmen in a Mogadishu teashop. Four civilians were also injured in the violence.

HE/HGH/MMN