5 killed, 14 wounded in suicide attack in Mogadishu

ISTANBUL (AP): A suicide bombing in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Saturday killed five people including two Turks, the Turkish health minister said.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group claimed responsibility for the attack in a post from its Shahada News Agency. The Somalia-based group often targets Mogadishu with suicide bombings and other attacks, and it has exploded bombs against the Turkish military and other targets there in the past.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted that 14 people, including three Turks, were wounded and are being treated in a Mogadishu hospital named after Turkey’s president. He did not give the nationalities of the other three people who died.

“We strongly condemn this heinous attack targeting the employees of a Turkish company that undertook the Mogadishu-Afgoye road construction and contributes to the development and prosperity of Somalia,” a foreign ministry statement said.

Turkish security sources said the suicide attacker used a motorcycle. They said the attack took place 15 kilometers (8 miles) away from a Turkish military base, which was not affected. The base is Turkey’s largest military installation abroad. Turkey is active in Somalia in the military, development, health and education fields.