A car bomb exploded outside the residence of the President in the Somali capital Mogadishu, reports “Reuters”. Nearby hotels are partially destroyed.
It was reported that at least one explosion has erupted, and was followed by shooting. After the explosion in the city were seen clouds of smoke.
Police said five soldiers were killed in the bombing.
“So far we know five government soldiers died in the blast. It exploded outside the SYL hotel which is also just at the checkpoint outside the palace. We believe the target was SYL which is frequented by officials. The death toll may rise,” police officer Colonel Abdikadir Hussein told Reuters.
Responsibility for the attack claimed the group Al-Shabaab.
Al-Shabaab which is linked to Al-Qaeda is responsible for several recent explosions in the Somali capital, including the car bomb and gun attack which took place at a popular beach restaurant in the capital last week and killed 10 people.
