Two cars packed with explosives were rammed into a police building in the center of the Somali capital Mogadishu, killing at least 10 people, said officials.
Security official Ibrahim Mohamed said, “terrorist elements” had smashed two cars packed full of explosives into the headquarters of the police’s criminal investigations department in the city center.
Four attackers, including two suicide bombers, were also killed in the attack, said police Capt. Mohamed Hussein. Another 15 people were injured, some seriously, he added.
Militant group Shabab is said to have claimed responsibility for the assault. It was the second major operation in the city this week by the group which has kept up a guerilla war on the western-backed government in the face of US drone strikes and African peacekeeping forces.
Heavy gunfire rang out inside for about half an hour after the first blast, said witnesses.
More than 22,000 peacekeepers are deployed in Somalia in the multi-national African Union force. Shabab opposes the presence of foreign troops in Somalia.
Although Al-Shabab was ousted from Mogadishu and most Somali towns in 2011, it continues to wage a deadly guerrilla campaign.
Shabab’s military operations spokesman, Abdiasis Abu Musab, said one of its suicide bombers had started the attack by ramming a car bomb into the building’s gate.
In Shabab’s first attack this week, 13 people were killed when two car bombs went off at the gate of the African Union’s main AMISOM peacekeeping base on Tuesday.
Security analysts have warned that the group could step up its attacks, taking advantage of the distraction caused by campaigning for a presidential election due in August.
Shabab has also launched attacks in Kenya and Uganda which have contributed troops to the 22,000-strong AMISOM force.
Somalia plunged into anarchy in the early 1990s following the toppling of military dictator Mohamed Siad Barre. The blasts came just days after at least 13 people were killed in twin bombings near Mogadishu airport and UN and African Union buildings.
Shabab were forced out of the capital five years ago but continue to carry out regular attacks on military, government and civilian targets. In recent months they have claimed deadly assaults on military bases as well as civilian targets including hotels.
Last month, a junior minister was among 11 people killed in an attack on the Naasa Hablood hotel.
This year is considered critical for the group, which is eager to disrupt an expected change of government due in the coming months.
Somalia was supposed to hold national elections this year but is instead going to hold what diplomats call a “limited franchise election” in which ordinary citizens do not participate.
The UN now hopes a one-person-one-vote election will be possible in 2020.

Source ; Arab News