MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Somali Islamist group al Shabaab bombed a restaurant frequented by members of the security forces in Mogadishu on Saturday, killing at least three people, officials and the group said.

Police said a suicide car bomb rammed the Blue Sky restaurant in the capital, which is located near a detention center, known as Jilaow, where militants are often held in underground cells.

Al Shabaab frequently launches attacks in Mogadishu in its bid to topple the Western-backed government.

Abdifatah Omar, a spokesman for Mogadishu’s local government, said at the scene that three people had been confirmed dead so far and four others were injured.

“We targeted the security forces and officers of the underground Jilaow cell who were there,” Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operations spokesman, told Reuters, adding that at least 10 people were killed.

He did not say whether a suicide car bomb was used in the attack, although the group often uses such tactics.

Casualty figures given by al Shabaab and officials often differ. </s> Story highlights Four people are killed and five injured in blast in Mogadishu, Somalia

Car bomb explodes near prison where militant Al-Shabaab suspects are questioned

Mogadishu, Somalia (CNN) The Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for a car bombing that killed four people Saturday in the Somali capital.

A vehicle packed with explosives detonated near a prison run by the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency in Mogadishu, Col. Hamza Ali, a senior police officer, told CNN. The car had been parked at the Blue Sky restaurant near Godka Jili'ow prison, a heavily protected facility where Al-Shabaab suspects are questioned.

Five people were injured in the attack, Ali said.

A statement posted on a pro-Al-Shabaab website said the car bomb had targeted a Somali intelligence officer at the restaurant.

Al-Shabaab is a Somali extremist group that seeks to turn the country into a fundamentalist Islamic state. It has carried out repeated attacks against Somalia's government and military targets. </s> A vehicle packed with explosives detonated near a prison run by the Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency in Mogadishu, Col. Hamza Ali, a senior police officer, told CNN. The car had been parked at the Blue Sky restaurant near Godka Jili'ow prison, a heavily protected facility where Al-Shabaab suspects are questioned.

Five people were injured in the attack, Ali said.

A statement posted on a pro-Al-Shabaab website said the car bomb had targeted a Somali intelligence officer at the restaurant. </s> At least 12 people were killed and more than 20 others injured when a car bomb exploded Thursday outside a restaurant in Somalia’s capital.

Witnesses tell VOA's Somali service the blast occurred outside the front door of a restaurant along Maka Al-Mukarama road, Mogadishu's busiest street.

“An explosive-laden vehicle was parked in a line of vehicles in front of the Bilsan restaurant, which was busy and at lunch time” said a witness who asked for anonymity.

“The roof of the restaurant collapsed with many people inside, I am not sure what has happened there and how many people were inside, but I can confirm six dead bodies lying the front street,” the witness said.

Authorities of Mogadishu’s ambulance services said at least six other people injured in the blast died on their way to hospitals.

There was no immediately claim of responsibility, but the attack bore the hallmarks of militant group al-Shabab, which frequently attacks hotels and restaurants in Mogadishu.

On Saturday, Shabab fighters stormed a government building in the capital and killed at least 15 people.

A surge in Shabab attacks and reports of suspected attacks have put Mogadishu residents on edge. Some analysts attribute the anxiety to the fact that a large number of militants fleeing from U.S. airstrikes on their rural bases have fled to Mogadishu.

Earlier, the U.S. Embassy in Somalia's neighbor Djibouti reported a security incident at Camp Lemonnier, the U.S. military base in Djibouti.

A spokesman for the U.S. Africa Command tells VOA there was a report of a suspicious package outside the installation.

"Camp personnel responded and determined there was no threat," said Major Karl Wiest. "Normal operations have resumed." </s> A car bomb killed at least 11 people in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Thursday, police said.

The blast on a busy road destroyed two restaurants and cars parked nearby.

“The blast destroyed a restaurant and killed many who were inside and outside the restaurant,” said police major Mohamed Hussein.

No-one has so far claimed responsibility for the attack but Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants have targeted the area in the past, reports Reuters.

On Saturday, 15 people were killed in two explosions and a gunfight between al Shabaab militants and security personnel in central Mogadishu. </s> A car burns after an explosion in Mogadishu Somalia, on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016.

MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Somali police officer says a car bomb blew up at the entrance of a restaurant in the Somali capital of Mogadishu, killing two people.

Capt. Mohamed Hussein said the blast Saturday occurred at the Blue Sky restaurant close to the presidential palace.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing but the Islamic extremist group of al-Shabab often carries out such attacks.

Al-Shabab, al-Qaida's East African affiliate, is fighting to impose a strict version of Islam in this Horn of Africa nation. Despite losing a lot of ground in recent years, the extremist group continues to carry out lethal attacks in many parts of the country, especially in the capital. Recent attacks have focused on the capital's hotel industry, which is remerging from decades of conflict. </s> A suicide car bomber has attacked a restaurant in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, killing at least 11 people, officials and witnesses say.

Gunfire was heard as security forces and police responded to the attack on the Pizza House restaurant popular with young and diaspora Somalis.

The attackers are holding a number of hostages in the building.

Militant Islamists from the al-Shabab group have claimed responsibility for the assault.

Witnesses say the whole district is currently sealed off by the security forces and police.

Security official Abukar Mohamed was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency that the operation to clear the building was continuing late on Wednesday.

Troops from the African Union forced al-Shabab out of Mogadishu in 2011, but much of the country is still under control of the militants.

Al-Shabab, which is affiliated to al-Qaeda, has launched a series of deadly attacks on Mogadishu and other government-held regions in recent months.

Somalia has been wracked by conflict since the long-serving ruler Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991. BBC News </s> Nov 7 At least one person was killed on Wednesday when a car laden with explosives detonated in the car park of the country's parliament building in the capital Mogadishu, police said.

The explosion went off while the country's new legislators were holding a session inside.

General Mohamed Abdulle told Reuters the car full of explosives was parked among those owned by Somali parliamentarians, and a Somali soldier was killed in the blast.

"It exploded and one military soldier died. There are no other casualties but there is damage to the cars," he said.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, though Mogadishu has been frequently targeted by Islamist militant group al Shabaab, who are fighting Somali government forces and African Union soldiers across the country.

Since al Shabaab withdrew from the capital in August last year, it has increasingly turned to suicide bombers and grenade attacks to target government and African Union positions.

Two suicide bombers attacked a restaurant in the Somali capital on Saturday, killing a security guard who stopped them entering the building.

It was not clear who was behind the bombings but Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab insurgents have conducted similar previous attacks and remain a serious security challenge even after being forced out of their strongholds. (Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by James Macharia) </s> At least 15 people have killed in a car bomb explosion near a hotel and restaurants in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, according to rescue services.

The blast on Thursday afternoon in the busy Maka Al-Mukarama road sent a huge cloud of smoke into the sky, causing destruction in nearby buildings and parked cars.

"So far 15 people died including five women. Seventeen others were injured in the blast," Abdikadir Abdirahman, the director of Amin Ambulance service, told the Reuters news agency.

A witness at the scene said she had seen 18 bodies.

"As a mother, it is shocking for me and I request those behind the explosions to stop. We are crying every day over dead bodies, and it is very hard for us to talk about," the resident, who did not wish to be named, told Reuters.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Mogadishu is regularly targeted by al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-affiliated group that has has been fighting to topple the country's government.

In 2011, al-Shabab fighters fled fixed positions they once held in Mogadishu, and have since lost many of their strongholds.

But they retain control of large rural swaths of the country, and continue to wage a guerrilla war against the authorities.

On Saturday, 15 people were killed in two explosions and a gun battle between al-Shabab fighters and security personnel in central Mogadishu.
A car bomb at a Mogadishu restaurant near the Jilaow detention center kills four people and injures another five. Al-Shabaab claims responsibility for the attack.