Suicide car bomb blast kills 2 in Somali capital

By Mohammed Dhaysane

BAIDOA, Somalia (AA) - At least two people were killed and as many others wounded in a suicide car bombing in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, police said.

The attack took place near Mogadishu stadium that is currently housing Somali military police.

Ibrahim Ali, a police officer in Mogadishu, told Anadolu over the phone that two civilians, including a municipality staffer, were killed and two soldiers were injured in the attack.

Sidik Dudishe, a Somali police spokesman, said in a news conference that the incident happened at a security checkpoint operated by Somalia’s military police.

The al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabaab terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.

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

Since 2007, the al-Shabaab terror group 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 United Nations Security Council.

The terror group has increased their attacks since Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who was elected for a second term last year, declared an "all-out war" on al-Shabaab.