Somalia's Mogadishu airport rocked by twin suicide blasts, at least 8 people killed

At least eight people were killed on Tuesday when two huge bombs went off near Mogadishu’s airport, including one close to the UN’s political office in the Somali capital, a security source told AFP. An AFP journalist at the scene heard gunfire after the explosions tore through the area, one of which was believed to be a car bomb. According to Conflict News, two simultaneous suicide car bombs targeted checkpoints manned by Somali security near the airport entrance.

Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab has carried out a string of similar attacks. The city’s airport is heavily fortified and adjoins the capital’s main base for the African Union mission to Somalia, the 22,000-strong force backing the government in the battle against Shabaab insurgents. The jihadists were chased out of Mogadishu in 2011 but remain a serious threat in both Somalia and neighbouring Kenya, where they carry out frequent attacks. Witnesses have been tweeting about the blast.

(With inputs from AFP)