Somalia's President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has survived an assassination attempt by the militant group al-Shabab.

Gunmen opened fire on the president's convoy Tuesday in the Alamada area of southern Somalia. A VOA (Somali Service) reporter traveling with the convoy says the president was unharmed, but five of his bodyguards were wounded, along with one unidentified Somali official.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack on its website.

The president was returning to the capital, Mogadishu, after visiting the town of Afgoye. African Union and Somali-government troops seized control of the town from al-Shabab last week.

The development marked another setback for al-Shabab. The militant group once controlled most of southern and central Somalia, but has steadily lost ground in an offensive by African Union, Somali, Kenyan and Ethiopian forces.