A good number of soldiers including a military commander have been killed in deadly attack on army base in Giriley village near Somalia-Kenya border, officials confirmed.

The raid broke out when heavily hooded Al Shabaab gunmen launched an ambush assault on a military checkpoint in Giriley area in southern Somalia's Gedo province.

A Somalia military commander, Abdi Sheikh Ibrahim was among those soldiers killed in early Friday's hit-and-run attack by Al Qaeda linked Al Shabab militants.

"In Friday attack, we lost scores of soldiers including senior commander but we have inflicted heavy losses upon Al Shabaab attackers" a military officer who asked to be anonymous said.

Neither government officials nor Al Shabaab militants have commented on the ambush raid that left a dozen soldiers dead in Griley village located near Somalia-Keya border.