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Mogadishu attack: Ten killed in airport blasts | |
(35 minutes later) | |
At least 10 people have been killed in two car bomb attacks near an entrance to the airport in Mogadishu, Somali police and eyewitnesses have said. | |
Thick smoke could be seen rising from the area, where there is also a base for African Union (AU) peacekeepers. | Thick smoke could be seen rising from the area, where there is also a base for African Union (AU) peacekeepers. |
Local journalists said one of the bombs was detonated by a suicide attacker near a checkpoint. Another blast hit the airport's perimeter wall. | |
Those killed were believed to include security guards at the checkpoint. | |
The militant Islamist group, al-Shabab, has said it was behind the blasts and its target was the AU force's headquarters. | |
The AU mission in Somalia condemned "these senseless attacks that aim to disrupt and cripple the lives of ordinary Somalis". | |
Al-Shabab has carried out frequent attacks in Somalia, including in Mogadishu, in an attempt to oust the UN-backed government. | |
The group, which is allied to al-Qaeda, has been pushed out of most of the main towns it once controlled, but analysts say it remains a potent threat. | |
It has been increasing its attacks ahead of planned elections in Somalia. | It has been increasing its attacks ahead of planned elections in Somalia. |
Hotels have been attacked by car bombs and then armed assault teams over the past few weeks. | Hotels have been attacked by car bombs and then armed assault teams over the past few weeks. |
The large airport area in Mogadishu is a secure "green zone" for UN operations, the AU peacekeeping force and foreign embassies. | The large airport area in Mogadishu is a secure "green zone" for UN operations, the AU peacekeeping force and foreign embassies. |
The Somali government, with the help of AU forces, is fighting al-Shabab militants in several parts of the country. |