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Somalia attack: 'Five die' in raid on Mogadishu courts | Somalia attack: 'Five die' in raid on Mogadishu courts |
(35 minutes later) | |
Five people have been killed in an attack on the main law courts in the Somali capital, police have said. | |
Gunmen entered the Mogadishu courts, detonating explosives and opening fire, witnesses said. | Gunmen entered the Mogadishu courts, detonating explosives and opening fire, witnesses said. |
A gunfight followed as security forces exchanged fire with the attackers, who remain unidentified. | A gunfight followed as security forces exchanged fire with the attackers, who remain unidentified. |
There are also reports of an explosion near the city's airport. Most attacks in Mogadishu are blamed on Islamic militant group al-Shabab. | |
BBC reporter Mohamed Ibrahim at the scene says armed intruders entered the court in Mogadishu and began firing, after which there was an explosion. | |
An intelligence officer, Abdirahman Mohamed, told AFP news agency that at least one suicide bomber had blown himself up, leaving several people dead. | |
"Armed men entered the court and then we heard a blast. Then they started opening fire," witness Hussein Ali, who works at the courts, told Reuters news agency. | "Armed men entered the court and then we heard a blast. Then they started opening fire," witness Hussein Ali, who works at the courts, told Reuters news agency. |
Other witnesses said the attackers were dressed in Somali military uniform, and also reported a second explosion. | |
Our reporter says the courts are located in one of the busiest parts of the city. | |
The incident comes a month after 10 people were killed in a suicide car bombing, in one of the deadliest attacks in the coastal city since a new UN-backed Somali government was formed last year | The incident comes a month after 10 people were killed in a suicide car bombing, in one of the deadliest attacks in the coastal city since a new UN-backed Somali government was formed last year |
Security has improved in Mogadishu since al-Shabab withdrew from the city in August 2011, but the group's fighters still launch attacks. | Security has improved in Mogadishu since al-Shabab withdrew from the city in August 2011, but the group's fighters still launch attacks. |
The al-Qaeda-aligned insurgents have been forced out of main towns but still control most villages and rural areas. | The al-Qaeda-aligned insurgents have been forced out of main towns but still control most villages and rural areas. |
For more than 20 years Somalia has seen clan-based warlords, rival politicians and Islamist militants battling for control of the country. | For more than 20 years Somalia has seen clan-based warlords, rival politicians and Islamist militants battling for control of the country. |