6 killed after al-Shabab terrorists target Somalia's presidential palace

The sound of an explosion was heard across the Somali capital Mogadishu on Saturday followed by gunfire, reports witnessed.

Six people died so far in the attack at Somalia's Presenditial place.

The midday blasts came a week after a similar attack on the interior ministry compound in Mogadishu killed at least nine people.

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The police said the cause was not been immediately clear.

“We have just heard the blast, it is in the area outside the presidential palace. It is too early to know details,” Major Mohamed Hussein, a police officer told reporters.

The Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group, an arm of al-Qaeda, often targets high-profile places in the capital and claimed responsibility for the attack a week ago. The group was blamed for the October truck bombing in Mogadishu that killed more than 500 people in the deadliest attack in the country’s history.

The threat from what has become the deadliest Islamic extremist group in sub-Saharan Africa has hurt efforts to strengthen Somalia’s fragile government and stabilize the long-chaotic Horn of Africa nation.

The US military and others in the international community have expressed concern about the plan for Somalia’s security forces to take over the country’s security from a multinational African Union force over the next few years, saying the local troops are not yet ready.

(With inputs from agencies)