Bomb blast kills at least 2 in Somali capital

MOGADISHU, Somalia

At least two people were killed in the Somali capital on Sunday and several others – including civilians – wounded when a bomb blast targeted a vehicle carrying a local government official.

The attack took place near Bal'ad, where a main security checkpoint into Mogadishu is located, Ahmed Dahir, a local police official, told Anadolu Agency over the phone.

In the attack, an improvised explosive device targeted the local government official, Dahir added.

"At least two people including a civilian were killed and several people including a civilian driving a moto rickshaw were wounded in the attack," he said.

Residents who spoke to Anadolu Agency over phone said they heard a huge explosion.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the bomb attack but Somali-based al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group, has been responsible for many deadly bombings in the Horn of Africa country.

Later, a roadside bomb targeted a vehicle carrying police officers in Tarabuka in Mogadishu's Hodan neighborhood.

Somali police spokesman Sadaq Adan Ali told Anadolu Agency over the phone that one police officer was wounded and the vehicle was slightly damaged.

Local media also reported that at least three people, including civilians, were wounded in the attack, the second bomb blast in Mogadishu in less than four hours.

Al-Shabaab also claimed on Sunday that it had attacked several bases of African Union peacekeeping forces in southern Somalia overnight.