Car bomb kills at least 7 near presidential palace in Somalia

[Deeq A.]

A suicide car bomb exploded near the presidential palace in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, killing at least seven and injuring 10, according to a police official.

The car’s driver detonated the device while being chased by security forces, Mohamed Abdishakur, a Somali police official said. Most of the dead were passersby who were walking along the road when the blast occurred, he said.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Al-Shabab
militant group, which has been waging an insurection in Somalia since 2006, has carried out various bombing attacks. The most recent one on Jan. 31 targeted a hotel in Mogadishu and killed several people.

Saturday’s attack came just after the four-year term of President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed ended on Feb. 8. Elections were expected to take place in February but were delayed due to a political impasse among Somalia’s leaders.