Two bomb blasts hit near the main entrance to Mogadishu’s Aden Adde airport, close to a base for African Union (AU) peacekeeping troops.Islamist terror group Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had killed more than 12 people.The two attackers targeted the African Union’s main peacekeeping base in Somalia’s capital, which has witnessed a rise in Islamist attacks in recent years.
The first detonated a car bomb near the gates of the compound, which lies close to the airport, and the second tried to storm the base on foot.
He was shot before he detonated explosives at the gate.Local police officer Major Nur Osman told Reuters: “AU forces sealed the area. There were many Somalis outside the gate and there were AU forces at the gate – we have not yet confirmed the casualty figure.”The area surrounding Mogadishu’s airport is designated a secure “green zone” for foreign embassies as well as UN and AU peacekeeping forces.
