Suicide bombers have attacked the main peacekeeping base in the capital of Somalia. Police say at least three Somali security officers have been killed.
Suicide bombers have attacked the main peacekeeping base in the capital of Somalia.
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Police say at least three Somali security officers have been killed.
What happened?
One bomber drove a car into a checkpoint outside the headquarters of the African Union peacekeeping force, AMISOM.
Another vehicle then drove towards the base’s main gates, before coming under fire from peacekeepers stationed there.
#UPDATE At least 3 killed in suicide bomb attack near Mogadishu airport, Somalia, meters away from peacekeeping basehttps://t.co/aNIRPfsswF pic.twitter.com/BGOuMjlow3
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) January 2, 2017
Has anyone admitted the attack?
Yes.
Al Shabaab militants say they carried out the assault near Mogadishu’s main airport.
The area is home to several embassies, aid groups and telecoms companies.
The front of the nearby Hotel Peace was damaged in the attack, although there are no reports of any casualties.
Al Shabaab’s military spokesman Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab said fighters had meant to attack the hotel.
African leaders seeking a solution to Somalia’s decades-long turmoil met there last year.
What they are saying
Two VBIEDs exploded outside AMISOM’s MIA base in Mogadishu this afternoon. The first one was at a Somali National Security Forces checkpoint
— AMISOM (@amisomsomalia) January 2, 2017
“It (the vehicle) exploded around 200 metres from the gate. Civilian buildings were damaged,” – AMISOM said on Twitter.