(AFP PHOTO / Mohamed Abdiwahab)
AFP – At least seven people were killed Saturday in a huge explosion believed to be from a roadside bomb in the centre of the Somali capital Mogadishu, police said.
The bomb went off near the busy KM4 junction in central Mogadishu, close to the Turkish embassy – although it was not clear if the attack had a precise target.
“Several people have been killed, there are at least seven, including four civilians, and three policemen,” police officer Mohammed Duale told AFP at the scene.
Another security source at the scene said the bomb appeared to have been planted at the side of the road. According to another police official, a former regional government official was among the dead.
The attack is the latest in a string of bombings in the city attributed to Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab rebels, who are battling to overthrow the war-torn country’s internationally-backed but fragile government.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, although the Shebab have said they were behind a series of similar attacks in recent weeks.
The Shebab have been driven out of fixed positions in Somalia’s major towns by a UN-mandated African Union force, but still regularly launch attacks that include bombings and guerrilla-style raids.
Recent Shebab attacks have targeted key areas of government or the security forces, in an apparent bid to discredit claims by the authorities that they are winning the war against the Islamist fighters.
Last month Shebab said they assassinated two MPs in the space of 24 hours in Mogadishu in a shooting and car bombing. In February, Shebab militants carried out a major attack against the heavily fortified presidential palace, killing officials and guards in heavy gun battles.
