Double bomb attack kills 13 near Mogadishu Airport

Explosions rocked a peacekeeping base and the airport in Somalia’s capital, police and local residents said Tuesday.

At least 13 people were killed in the twin bombings near UN and African Union buildings adjoining Mogadishu’s airport, police said, in what the jihadist Shabaab group claimed as a suicide attack.

The Al-Qaeda aligned Shabaab group is blamed for a string of bloody assaults in Somalia and neighbouring Kenya and is fighting to overthrow Mogadishu’s internationally-backed government.

“At least 13 people were confirmed to have died in two explosions, one of the vehicles went off near a security checkpoint and another close to a UN compound,” said Bishaar Abdi Gedi, a police official.

“The security forces have managed to intercept the attackers and foiled the attacks,” Gedi said.

A Shabaab statement said it was a suicide attack by its militants.

“The two explosions were carried out by two brave Mujahedeen suicide bombers and they have targeted two different locations where the so-called AMISOM peacekeepers are stationed,” it said, referring to the African Union mission to Somalia.

Joe Kibet who spoke with AFP said “Around 9am there was an explosion outside one of our gates, about 200 metres away,” mission spokesman.

“It looks like an attack, they intended to attack. Now the situation is calm and our personnel is working on it,” he added.