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MOGADISHU - At least three members of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces were killed in an attack on a military base in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on Saturday evening, officials confirmed on Sunday.

The attack which targeted troops at the General Gordon military base also led to the injuries of three officers from Bahrain Defense Force and Somalia National Army (SNA).

The Somali government did not provide details of the attack involved.

The deaths, which were confirmed by the UAE Ministry of Defense, happened after a Somali army recruit discharged his gun targeting the soldiers inside the military facility.

The UAE soldiers were on a training mission of the Somali National Army as part of bilateral agreement between the UAE and Somalia.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Sunday condemned the incident and offered his condolences to the government and people of the UAE for the officers who lost their lives in Mogadishu.

"I strongly condemn this horrible act that took the lives of these officers who sacrificed their time and lives for the liberation of our country and the rebuilding of our forces," he said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

The president ordered the security forces to conduct an urgent investigation into the latest incident in the country.

"We promise that strict actions will be taken against whoever organized this heinous act," he added.

Al-Shabab, which has been fighting the government for more than two decades, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying its fighters killed many people involved in the Emirati military training mission in Somalia.