Bomb blast in Somali capital kills at least 5

By Mohamed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - At least five people, including humanitarian aid workers, were killed and several others wounded Thursday in a bomb blast in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, according to a security official.

The attack from a remote-controlled roadside bomb in the Garasbaley neighborhood targeted a vehicle with Turkish nationals and their security escorts who were traveling to internally displaced persons camps to conduct relief aid efforts, said Ahmed Abdi.

He said police are investigating and announced the death of three security guards but did not specify how many Turks were killed or wounded.

But media reports said two Turkish nationals who were in Mogadishu for relief work during the final days of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan were killed.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but the al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group, al-Shabaab, claimed responsibility for recent bombings in Mogadishu.

Somalia has been plagued by insecurity for years, with the main threats emanating from al-Shabaab and the Daesh/ISIS terror groups.

Since 2007, al-Shabaab has been fighting the Somali government and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) -- a multidimensional mission authorized by the African Union and mandated by the UN Security Council.

The terror group has stepped up attacks since Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud declared an "all-out war" on the group.