11 people have been killed in a powerful blast that struck the commercial and administrative district of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, sending a plume of black smoke into the sky, police say.
Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab rebels has claimed responsibility for the attack which struck Mogadishu’s ‘Kilometre 4’ neighbourhood on Sunday morning, and targeted a convoy carrying Qatari officials through central Mogadishu.
The visiting delegation of Qataris, who were travelling in the Somali interior minister’s bullet-proof vehicle, were “safe”, a security officer told the Reuters news agency. The minister was not in the car at the time.
A second explosion went off in Mogadishu but there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Last month nine fighters dressed in police uniforms attacked Mogadishu’s court complex, killing 10 national security officers before entering the building.
In March a car bomb in Mogadishu killed 10 people, with al-Shabab claiming responsibility for the attack.
Although significantly weakened by foreign troops from the African Union, the group has continued to launch attacks in Mogadishu where peacekeepers and the army maintain security.
