Somalia bomb blast kills 5 policemen

At least five police officers were killed and several others wounded when a bomb blast targeted their vehicle outside the capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, police said.

The attack took place in the vicinity of Eelasha Biyaha located 16 kilometers (9 miles) south west of Mogadishu.

Ibrahim Mohamed Yare, a police officer in the area, told Anadolu Agency by phone the attack was a roadside bomb blast targeting police officers traveling from Mogadishu to Eelasha Biyaha, lower Shabelle region.

The wounded personnel were admitted to Mogadishu hospital, he said, blaming the al-Shabaab terrorist group for the attack. Roads between Mogadishu and Afgoye are blocked to hunt down the attackers, he added.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack but Somali-based al-Qaeda affiliated group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for recent attacks against civilians and security forces targets in the Horn of Africa country.