Four killed in suicide attack on UN convoy in Somali capital: Police

At least four people were killed in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Wednesday when a terrorist bomber rammed a car packed with explosives into a UN convoy, police said.

According to AFP, the convoy of armoured vehicles were reportedly ferrying staff between Mogadishu’s heavily-fortified airport and a protected UN base in the city when it was hit close to the airport gate.

The attack was not immediately claimed, but both the airport and the UN mission have been frequently targeted in the past by Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shebab militants.

UN convoys are systematically flanked by pickup trucks carrying private security officers who provide protection for international staff.

A dark plume of smoke was seen rising high in the sky after the large blast, which was heard across the seaside capital.

Witnesses said the UN convoy consisted of four armoured vehicles escorted by private security personnel driving in pickups.

The attack appeared to be a repeat of an al-Shebab operation in February, when six people — Somali guards, passers-by and shop owners — were killed in a suicide attack on a convoy carrying UN staff near the airport.