Five Killed in Somalia Car Bombing

At least five people including two children were killed on Monday in a car bomb blast outside government offices in the capital Mogadishu, a local government spokesman said.

The car, which was packed with explosives, was parked in front of shops near the headquarters of the city's local government.

"Five civilians, including two school children, were killed in the blast which was caused by a car parked there, and seven others were wounded," said the spokesman, Abdifatah Omar Halane.

"The explosion was caused by a car loaded with explosives," police officer Ibrahim Mohamed said.

Witnesses said two children were among those killed.

"I saw several people, some of them dead, and among them were two children," said local resident Muhsin Abdirahman.

No group has so far claimed the attack but Al-Qaida linked insurgent group the Shebab, which is fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government frequently deploys car bombs.

The United Nations mission in Somalia said it "strongly condemns" the attack, which it said "bears hallmarks" of a Shebab operation.

The Shebab was chased out of Mogadishu in 2011 but remains a dangerous threat in both Somalia and neighbouring Kenya where it carries out frequent attacks.

Shebab leaders have vowed to bring down the Somali government, which is supported by the international community and defended by the African Union's 22,000-strong AMISOM mission.