10 killed in Mogadishu bomb attack

At least 10 people have been killed and several others injured in a car bomb explosion that rocked the Somali capital city of Mogadishu.

The incident occurred on Thursday when the explosive-laden vehicle detonated near the security service headquarters in Mogadishu.

According to Somali officials, most of the dead were civilians.

The death toll could rise as many other people have been seriously injured in the bombing, they said.

Witnesses said explosion targeted a security vehicle and three security forces were among the dead.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing but such attacks are usually blamed on al-Shabab fighters who are fighting to topple the government.

Last week, the group carried out a car bomb attack near the presidential palace. Police officials said President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud escaped the assault unharmed while five officers and guards were killed in the following gun battle with the assailants.

Al-Shabab fighters were driven out of the capital and other major towns by the UN-mandated African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) – which is made up of troops from Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Sierra Leone and Kenya.

The group, however, remains in control of large parts of rural areas in southern Somalia and continues to carry out attacks on the foreign troops in the country.

Earlier in the month, the United Nations refugee agency raised concerns over the rising number of Somalis forced to leave their country as a result of violent clashes between government forces and al-Shabab fighters.