Five people have been killed in an attack on the main law courts in the Somali capital, police have said.
Gunmen entered the Mogadishu courts, detonating explosives and opening fire, witnesses said.
A gunfight followed as security forces exchanged fire with the attackers, who remain unidentified.
Most attacks in Mogadishu are blamed on Islamic militant group al-Shabab. Somalia has been rebuilding itself after two decades of civil conflict.
A BBC reporter says armed intruders entered the court in Mogadishu and began firing, after which there was an explosion.
An intelligence officer, Abdirahman Mohamed, told the French news agency AFP that at least one suicide bomber had blown himself up, leaving several people dead.
"Armed men entered the court and then we heard a blast. Then they started opening fire," witness Hussein Ali, who works at the courts, told Reuters news agency.
Other witnesses told AFP the attackers were dressed in Somali military uniform.
The incident comes a month after 10 people were killed in a suicide car bombing, in one of the deadliest attacks in the coastal city since a new UN-backed Somali government was formed last year
Security has improved in Mogadishu since al-Shabab withdrew from the city in August 2011, but the group's fighters still launch attacks.
The al-Qaeda-aligned insurgents have been forced out of main towns but still control most villages and rural areas.
For more than 20 years Somalia has seen clan-based warlords, rival politicians and Islamist militants battling for control of the country.
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
Debt restructuring programme was poorly structured – Finance Minister Ato Forson says
1 hour -
Mahama appoints fresh batch of ambassadors to key global capitals
2 hours -
Isak wants to explore move away from Newcastle
2 hours -
Benin names Spike Lee and wife ambassadors for African-Americans in the US
2 hours -
Trade deal on US tariffs within reach, says EU, as 1 August deadline nears
2 hours -
Trump bickers with Powell over Fed renovation costs
3 hours -
‘We will not default’ – Ato Forson assures bondholders as GH¢20bn DDEP payment plan unfolds
3 hours -
Take time to get VAT reforms right before scrapping COVID-19 levy – Prof. Asuming
3 hours -
France will recognise Palestinian state, Macron says
3 hours -
Foreign Affairs Ministry denies issuing Ghanaian passports to non-citizens
4 hours -
Uganda to host Asia/Africa play-off for 2027 Rugby World Cup
4 hours -
Landslide destroys farmlands and livelihoods in Santrokofi, sparks famine fears
4 hours -
UHAS Dean urges strategic role for laboratory managers in 24-hour health system reform
5 hours -
Society of Medical Laboratory Managers chair calls for inclusion in core health management
5 hours -
Mahama promises to renovate Atta Mills Presidential Library
5 hours