Bomb blast outside capital Mogadishu kills 3

At least three Somali government soldiers were killed and two wounded when a bomb blast targeted a security convoy on the outskirts of the capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, officials said.

The attack took place in the vicinity of Elasha Biyaha in the lower Shabelle region.

Abdi Mohamud, a police official in Mogadishu, told Anadolu Agency over the phone that the attack was a roadside bomb blast targeting security forces guarding Turkish nationals working at road construction linking Mogadishu and the town of Afgoye, lower Shabelle.

Turkey's Embassy in Mogadishu confirmed the attack to Anadolu Agency, saying that there were no Turkish casualties in the attack.

Al-Shabaab, a Somali-based terror group linked to al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack via its radio station and website, saying that it targeted Turkish officials.

On Dec. 28, at least 85 people, including two Turkish nationals, were killed and over 150 others wounded in a truck suicide attack in Mogadishu, in another attack claimed by al-Shabaab.

Turkey has strong historical ties with Somalia on the principle of "win-win" relations, including over 150 development aid projects carried out by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency since 2011.