Bomb blast kills 3 in Somali capital

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) - At least three people were killed and several others wounded when a bomb blast targeted a security checkpoint in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, an official said.

Somali police spokesman Abdifatah Adan Hassan told Anadolu Agency over the phone that two security personnel were among the dead in the attack on the security checkpoint located near Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack but al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for many recent attacks in the country. The group has launched deadly attacks in Somalia and the wider region.

The attack comes as the Horn of Africa country is preparing to hold long-delayed presidential polls after three days, well over a year behind schedule due to deadly violence and a power struggle between President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble.