Three dead in Mogadishu mortar attack

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A mortar attack in Mogadishu, claimed by Islamist group al Shabaab, killed three civilians and injured two others, the African Union peacekeeping force AMISOM said.

The mortar rounds were fired near a stadium, Lieutenant Colonel Wilson Rono, AMISOM spokesman, told Reuters.

Earlier on Thursday, al Shabaab militants set off a suicide car bomb at a checkpoint about 15 km outside the capital. At least five people were injured including soldiers, police officer Ali Roble told Reuters.

A second police officer, Abdullahi Nur, told Reuters many vehicles were parked at the checkpoint for inspection when the blast occurred.

Al Shabaab frequently carries out bombings in Mogadishu and elsewhere in Somalia in their effort to bring down the Western-backed federal government and drive out AMISOM forces defending it.

Last week twin car bomb blasts in Mogadishu – claimed by al Shabaab – killed 45 people.

Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operations spokesman, told Reuters the group was responsible for the mortar attack and car bombing.
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