Somalia's capital Mogadishu hit by deadly car bomb

At least eight people have been killed and 20 wounded in a car bomb in the centre of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, police and hospital staff have said.

The BBC's Mohamed Moalimuu at the scene says a suicide bomber blew up the car near the presidential palace.
The scene is one of utter destruction, with body parts scattered across a wide area, he says.
Somalia's al-Shabab group, which is linked to al-Qaeda, said it carried out the attack.

 

 

 

He sustained minor injuries, our reporter says.
The minibus has been completely destroyed, and ambulances have rushed the wounded to hospital, he says.
Government troops have fired a few shots into the air to disperse the large crowd which gathered at the site of the blast, he adds.
Friends and relatives are searching for their loved ones, our reporter says.
Hospital staff told him that about 20 people were wounded.
The huge explosion damaged nearby buildings, including a restaurant, but not the heavily fortified presidential palace and the National Theater, which is also close by, he adds.
African Union (AU) and Somali government forces took control of Mogadishu after al-Shabab withdrew.
However, bombings and assassinations have continued in the city.
Pro-government forces have also seized control of most of the urban centres in southern and central Somalia from al-Shabab. The Islamist group still dominates many rural areas.
A new government backed by the UN came to power last September, tasked with ending more than 20 years of conflict in the country.