Mogadishu (Somalia), Sep 2 (IANS) Three soldiers were killed and 14 persons injured after a suicide bomber attacked a government office here on Sunday, police said.

The blast also damaged nearby houses, blew off the roof of a mosque and caused a nearby school to collapse, BBC reported.

Police officer Abdullahi Hussein said a suicide bomber had rammed a car into the district office in Howlwadag district.

The militant group al-Shabab, which has waged an insurgency for more than 10 years, has claimed to be behind the attack.

In a similar incident on July 14, seven people were killed and several others injured in two explosions near the presidential palace in Mogadishu. </s> At least six people were killed when a suicide car bomb struck a local government office in central Mogadishu on Sunday, destroying the building and a Quranic school opposite.

Islamist militant group Al Shabaab said it was behind the attack on Hawlwadag district office, which also blew off the roof of a mosque and damaged houses nearby.

WATCH: At least 3 dead, seven wounded after bomb blast tears through centre of Somalia’s capital

At least six people had been killed, including soldiers, civilians and the suicide bomber, and a dozen injured, according to police officer Mohamed Hussein.

The school was open but at the time of the blast most children were away from the building on a break.

Earlier the director of the Amin ambulance service told Reuters that at least 14 people had been injured, including six children.

A Reuters journalist on the scene saw a human hand and blood stains in the rubble as people searched for survivors.

Abdiasis Abu Musab, Al Shabaab’s military operations spokesman, said the group had carried out the attack.

“We are behind the suicide attack. We targeted the district office in which there was a meeting. We killed 10 people so far, we shall give details later.”

WATCH: At least 13 dead after bombings in Somalia’s capital

Somalia has been wracked by lawlessness and violence since 1991. Islamist group al Shabaab is fighting to dislodge a Western-backed government protected by African Union-mandated peacekeepers. </s> MOGADISHU: A suicide car bomb rammed into a local government office in Somalia's capital on Monday, killing at least six people in an attack claimed by al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab.

A loud blast destroyed the office in Mogadishu's Hodan district and sent up huge clouds of smoke. A Reuters reporter saw five bodies and the body parts of a sixth person.

"We have carried six dead people and 16 others injured. The death toll may rise," Abdikadir Abdirahman, director of Amin Ambulance service, told Reuters.

Al Shabaab - which is fighting to topple the government and establish its own rule based on its interpretation of Islamic law - said it was behind the attack.

"We completely destroyed the district headquarter office. There are many casualties. We shall give details later," Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operation spokesman, said.

The Islamist militant group has frequently carry out attacks in the capital and other areas since the army, backed by African peacekeepers, pushed it out of the capital in 2011.

Witness Hussein Osman said he saw a 4x4 vehicle run into the building.

"I was just outside the district office ... I ran away and now I see from far the office completely destroyed," he added.

Last week, a suicide car bomb destroyed another district office in Mogadishu.

Somalia has been gripped by violence and lawlessness since dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was toppled in 1991. </s> At least six people were killed and more than 12 injured after a car bomb exploded in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Sunday, reported Reuters. The suicide attack took place outside a local government office in the centre of the city.

Police officer Mohamed Hussein confirmed six fatalities, which included soldiers, civilians and the suicide bomber.

The bomber attempted to drive through a checkpoint but was stopped by security forces. This prompted the bomber to detonate the explosives-laden car near the building, Al Jazeera quoted Hussein as saying.

The explosion destroyed the Hawlwadag district office, a school opposite the building, and a few homes in the vicinity. Most students in the school were away from the building for a break when the blast occurred.

Islamist militant group Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack. “We targeted the district office in which there was a meeting,” said Abdiasis Abu Musab, the group’s military operations spokesperson. “We killed 10 people so far, we shall give details later.” The group, an affiliate of the al-Qaeda, has been fighting to overthrow the United Nations-backed government in Mogadishu, which was established in 2012.

While the Al Shabaab has been driven out of many cities, it controls areas in rural pockets, according to the BBC. It has imposed a strict version of Sharia in places under its control, including amputating the hands of thieves and stoning to death women accused of adultery. </s> A suicide car bomber rammed into a local government office in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu causing casualties, a security official said.

Witnesses saw huge clouds of smoke above the city following a loud blast and gunfire.

“A suicide car bomb rammed into the office of Hodan district of Mogadishu. There are casualties but so far we do not have a figure,” Major Mohamed Nur, a police officer, told the Reuters news agency on Monday.

Photos from the scene show parts of the wall of Hodan district offices destroyed by the blast.

“I ran away and now I see from far the office completely destroyed. I see ambulances carrying casualties but I cannot make out how many dead or injured. I could see five people being taken by ambulance.” Osman added.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday’s attack.

Last week, a suicide car bomb carried out by al-Shabab armed group destroyed another district office of Mogadishu.

Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab frequently carries out bombings and gun attacks in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia.

They are fighting to topple Somalia’s Western-backed central government and establish their own rule based on their strict interpretation of Islamic law. </s> MOGADISHU: A suicide car bomb killed three security guards and injured several more people in the heart of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday, authorities said.

Extremists of the Al-Shabaab movement immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. "There was a car bomb blast targeting the district administration offices and three people died and several others wounded," Mogadishu administration spokesman Salah Hassan Omar told reporters at the scene. He said the dead were security guards at the building’s main entrance where the blast occurred.

Witnesses said the explosion destroyed the building. "The blast was very huge, it affected several nearby buildings including a Quranic school and a mosque," said witness Abdukadir Dahir.

"Eight people were wounded among them several students who stayed at a nearby madrasa," he added. The militants’ claim came in a brief statement posted on a pro-Shabaab website.

"The Mujahedeen attacked the headquarter of the apostate administration... using a vehicle loaded with explosives, there are casualties," it said. Somalia suffered the worst terror attack of its history in October last year. More than 500 people were killed in Mogadishu in a truck bombing attributed to Al-Shabaab. </s> MOGADISHU - A suicide car bomb rammed into a local government office in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Monday causing casualties, a police officer told Reuters.

A Reuters witness saw huge clouds of smoke above the city following a loud blast and gunfire.

“A suicide car bomb rammed into the office of Hodan district of Mogadishu. There are casualties but so far we do not have a figure,” major Mohamed Nur, a police officer, told Reuters.

Witnesses said the office was destroyed.

“A speeding 4x4 car ran into the district office,” witness Hussein Osman told Reuters. “I ran away and now I see from far the office completely destroyed. I see ambulances carrying casualties but I cannot make out how many dead or injured. I could see five people being taken by ambulance.”

Last week, a suicide car bomb destroyed another district office of Mogadishu.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab frequently carry out bombings and gun attacks in the capital Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia.

They are fighting to topple Somalia’s Western-backed central government and establish their own rule based on their strict interpretation of Islamic law. </s> MOGADISHU, Somalia — A Somali official says a suicide bomber has killed at least 10 people at a crowded market in a southern town.

Security official Ali Mohamed tells The Associated Press that the bomber, thought to be with the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group, detonated a suicide vest in the market in Wanlaweyn, 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of Mogadishu.

Fifteen other people were wounded in the attack. Mohamed says most of the victims are civilians.

There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast but the Somalia-based al-Shabab has carried out similar attacks in the region.

Despite being ousted from most of its key strongholds in the Horn of Africa nation, the extremist group continues to carry out attacks across large parts of southern and central Somalia. </s> MOGADISHU: A suicide car bomb killed three security guards and injured several more people in the heart of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday, authorities said.

Islamist extremists of the Al-Shabaab movement immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

"There was a car bomb blast targeting the district administration offices and three people died and several others wounded," Mogadishu administration spokesman Salah Hassan Omar told reporters at the scene.

He said the dead were security guards at the building's main entrance where the blast occurred.

Witnesses said the explosion destroyed the building.

"The blast was very huge, it affected several nearby buildings including a Koranic school and a mosque," said witness Abdukadir Dahir.

"Eight people were wounded among them several students who stayed at a nearby madrasa," he added.

The militants' claim came in a brief statement posted on a pro-Shabaab website.

"The Mujahedeen attacked the headquarter of the apostate administration... using a vehicle loaded with explosives, there are casualties," it said.

Somalia suffered the worst terror attack of its history in October last year.

More than 500 people were killed in Mogadishu in a truck bombing attributed to Al-Shabaab.

The Islamists, forced out of the capital in 2011, are fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government. They still hold sway over vast rural areas.

A 20,000-strong African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was deployed in 2007 under a UN mandate to shore up the government.
A suicide bomber attacks a government building in Mogadishu, Somalia, and causes the collapse of an adjacent school. Three deaths and 14 injuries are reported.