10 killed in Mogadishu bomb blast

At least 10 people, including Somali soldiers, were on Sunday killed in a suicide car bomb attack near the Ministry of Defence in Mogadishu, reportedly targeting the new army chief.

Somalia's state news agency SONNA reported that the suicide car bomb attack left at least 10 people dead and injured more others.

A security official, wishing that he not be named, told Xinhua by phone that 15 people, including three government soldiers, were killed and five others wounded.

"Students and other civilians on a minibus were mostly those died in the suicide car attack. The New Chief of Somali National Army, Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Jimale, survived from the attack," he said.

"No one can identify the number of casualties (as) bodies of (the) dead (were blown up) into pieces and blood covered the area of the suicide car bomb attack, vehicles were also destroyed and burned," a journalist at the scene told Xinhua by phone.

Al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for the latest suicide car bomb attack in Mogadishu. The group said it killed over 10 government soldiers in the attack.

This is the second car bomb attack in a week in Mogadishu.

The attack comes as the Somali President changed armed chiefs and declared state of war against Al-Shabaab.

--IANS

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