Somali car bomb kills military officer in Mogadishu

By Mohammed Dhaysane

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) – A military officer was killed and five other people -- including two soldiers -- wounded when a car bomb exploded in Mogadishu on Thursday afternoon.

The device went off at Manpolio Junction in the Somali capital’s Shibis district, targeting a U.A.E.-trained Somali-Yemeni officer.

Mogadishu mayoral spokesman Abdifatah Omar Hallane confirmed the death and injuries to Anadolu Agency.

The device had been fitted to the dead man’s car, Hallane said.

Abdirahman Ibrahim Hashim, 22, a shopkeeper in Shibis, said he saw three injured people.

"I was in my shop near the junction when I heard a huge explosion; I saw three wounded civilians," he said.

Manpolio Junction is the one of the busiest intersections in Mogadishu.

No group has so far claimed responsibility.