Mogadishu, Jul 14 (IANS): Five inmates and three soldiers were killed, and 18 other prisoners were wounded after heavy gunfire broke out between security forces and prisoners who had attempted to escape in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.

The spokesperson for Custodial Corps Command Abdiqani Mohamed Khalaf said on Saturday that three soldiers were also injured during the operation, Xinhua news agency reported.

The inmates, members of the al-Shabab militant group that had acquired some weapons and hand grenades, launched a bid to escape from Hamar Central Prison, prompting a shootout between the prison officers and the inmates.

The prison authorities said they are investigating how the inmates acquired weapons and hand grenades to launch such daring escapes.

"The security forces completed operations against al-Shabab members, the situation is calm at the moment and the forces eliminated all five prisoners. We have started investigations into the incident," he said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

Al-Shabab militants did not comment on the latest attack on the Hamar Central Prison.

This is the second such deadly attack on the prison in Mogadishu by the group's inmates.

The attack comes after nearly three months of relative peace in Mogadishu.