MOGADISHU, Somalia - Somali police say at least three people are wounded after a bomb attached to their vehicle exploded near the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the capital, Mogadishu.

Officer Abdifitah Ahmed confirms that the bomb went off shortly after the three left in the vehicle from a parking lot next to the ICRC office on Wednesday.

The ICRC says it is “shocked and deeply troubled” that one of its staffers was hurt.

The police officer says one victim is in critical condition while the other two are lightly wounded.

The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaida, often targets high-profile areas of the capital. </s> MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Somali police say at least three people are wounded after a bomb attached to their vehicle exploded near the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the capital, Mogadishu.

Officer Abdifitah Ahmed confirms that the bomb went off shortly after the three left in the vehicle from a parking lot next to the ICRC office on Wednesday.

The ICRC says it is "shocked and deeply troubled" that one of its staffers was hurt.

A Somali soldier attends the scene after a bomb attack near the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, March 28, 2018. Somali police say at least three people are wounded after the bomb which was attached to their vehicle exploded. (AP Photo/Mohamed Sheikh Nor)

The police officer says one victim is in critical condition while the other two are lightly wounded.

The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaida, often targets high-profile areas of the capital. </s> MOGADISHU, Somalia — The International Committee of the Red Cross says one of its staff members is dead after a car bombing in Somalia’s capital.

A statement says Abdulhafid Yusuf Ibrahim, a Somali national, died Wednesday night of his injuries after the attack in Mogadishu.

Somali police said two others were wounded after the bomb attached to their vehicle exploded near the ICRC office.

The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaida, claimed responsibility. The group often targets high-profile areas of the capital.

The ICRC said it was “shocked and deeply troubled” by the attack and that another staffer was recovering with minor injuries. </s> Six people were killed and another 16 injured when a car bomb exploded outside a local government office in Mogadishu on Monday, Somali police and rescue workers said."Our ambulance teams have collected the...Read more via IOL News – https://ift.tt/2N11Gul Get more World News </s> Officials in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, say a car bomb has hit a district headquarters, killing at least six people and injuring 16.

The blast targeted the headquarters of Hodan district in Mogadishu. Witnesses said the explosion Monday caused massive destruction to the building.

"The blast was huge," police officer Ibrahim Mohamed, told the French news agency, AFP.

The al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility via their affiliate social media accounts.

It is the second time the group has targeted a local district headquarters in Mogadishu this month. On September 2, a suicide car bomb destroyed the headquarters of the neighboring Hawlwadag district, killing three people. </s> At least six people were killed and another 16 injured when a car bomb exploded outside a government office in Mogadishu on Monday, Somali police and rescue workers said.

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



"Our ambulance teams have collected the dead bodies of six people," said Abdiqadir Abdirahman, director of the city's Aamin Ambulance service.



He said 16 others were wounded in the blast.

Security forces said a suicide bomber detonated a vehicle laden with explosives at the compound of a local government office.

"A suicide car bomb rammed into the office of Hodan district of Mogadishu," Major Mohamed Nur, a police officer, told the Reuters news agency.

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

"A speeding 4x4 car ran into the district office," witness Hussein Osman said.

"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> At least five people have been killed and 13 others injured in a car bomb blast near a police station in Somalia's capital Mogadishu.

The explosion shattered a month of relative calm in the city, which is often a target of the extremist group al-Shabab.

The blast near Waberi police station along the busy Maka Almukarramah road may have been a suicide bomber, police chief Mohamed Hussein said.

Burning vehicles outside Midnimo mall after a car bomb attack on a popular mall in Mogadishu, Somalia. Photo: AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab often carries out deadly bombings in Mogadishu against high-profile targets such as hotels and checkpoints.

Most of the victims of the latest attack were civilians.

The exact target of the blast is unclear, but it occurred amid a traffic jam while soldiers were searching cars at a nearby intersection.

Somali prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire said no such blast had occurred in the capital for a month.

At the blast scene, rescue workers and civilians carried bloodied bodies and injured victims to hospitals. </s> A car bomb exploded near a police station in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, killing at least six people and wounding another 13, police and witnesses said.

The bomb detonated as the car was driving in the busy Maka al-Mukaram road.

"The death toll may rise. Most of the injured ones are very serious," police officer, Mohamed Hussein, told Reuters news agency.

Rescue workers and civilians carried bloodied bodies and injured victims to hospitals.

Photojournalist Abdirizak Mohamud Tuuryare was at the scene.

"I saw bodies of five people, including women," he told Al Jazeera.

The blast occurred amid a traffic jam while soldiers were searching cars at a nearby intersection.

Most of the victims are civilians.

The exact target of the blast remains unclear.

No group has claimed responsibility for the apparent attack.

Somalia's Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said no such blast had taken place in the capital for a month. </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.
A car bomb near an International Committee of the Red Cross office wounds three people in Mogadishu, Somalia.