Gunmen Storm Somalia Gov’t Building after Suicide Car Bombing

By Staff, Agencies

Gunmen stormed into a government building in the Somalian capital following a suicide car bombing at the gates Saturday, a police officer said, in the latest attack by Islamic extremist fighters in the Horn of Africa nation.

Somalian security forces were fighting to neutralize the attackers and rescue public servants trapped inside the Mogadishu building, which houses the ministries of labor and works, police Capt. Mohamed Hussein said.

There was no word yet on casualties.

Gunfire could be heard from inside the building as smoke billowed from the scene, according to witnesses.

Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the ongoing attack, saying that its fighters were inside the building, which is located not far from the headquarters of the Somalian intelligence agency.

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab frequently carries out suicide bombings, targeting public places and government offices. It also attacks hotels and restaurants.

Al-Shabab, Africa's most active extremist group, has been fighting for years to take power and create its own state in Somalia.

The group continues to mount lethal attacks despite being pushed out of Mogadishu. It mostly operates from rural areas in the country's south.

African Union peacekeepers stationed in Mogadishu and elsewhere in the country have helped Somalian forces keep al-Shabab fighters at bay.

The group has carried out many deadly attacks in neighboring Kenya in retaliation over Kenya's deployment in 2011 of peacekeepers in Somalia.

The US military has carried out a number of deadly airstrikes in recent months against al-Shabab.