MOGADISHU, 13 January 2022, (TON): Officials said “several people were killed on Wednesday in a suicide car bomb blast in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu.”

The attack was claimed by the Al-Shabab extremist group, which said in a brief statement that it was targeting foreign officers.

It took place only days after Somali leaders had agreed on a new timetable for long-delayed elections in the troubled Horn of Africa country.

The government said in a statement on Twitter that it condemned the “cowardly” suicide attack, and gave a toll of four dead and six injured.

“Such acts of terrorism will not derail the peace & the ongoing development in the country. We must unite in the fight against terrorism.”

Local government security officer Mohamed Abdi had earlier told AFP that at least six people were killed.

“It has also caused devastation in the area,” he said, warning that the toll could be higher because a large number of people were in the area.

Witnesses said “a multi-vehicle private security convoy escorting foreigners was passing by the area in southern Mogadishu when the explosion hit.”