Bomb blast near Somali capital kills at least 2

MOGADISHU, Somalia

At least two people including an elderly man were killed in a bomb explosion on the outskirts of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday afternoon, an official said, pointing to a nearby peacekeepers' convoy as a possible missed target.

The attack took place near the ex-control Afgoye police checkpoint, a police officer in Mogadishu told Anadolu Agency on the phone.

"The bomb blast was an improvised explosive device planted near the Mogadishu-Afgooye highway," said the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

"We don't know for certain who the target was but an African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) peacekeepers’ convoy was using the main road at the time the explosion occurred," he added.

Somali state media also confirmed the “cowardly terrorist roadside” attack.

No group has yet claimed responsibility, but al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for recent attacks in the Horn of Africa country.

It was the second bomb blast in Somalia in the last 10 hours, as earlier on Sunday at least three specially trained commandos were wounded in a bomb blast on a convoy carrying military personnel on the outskirts of Dhusamareb, an administrative capital.

Al-Shabaab claimed that it had killed nine soldiers in the attack.