3 people killed in Mogadishu car bomb

A car bomb exploded on Saturday on a busy street in the Somali capital Mogadishu, killing three people and wounding eight, a police officer said.

The toll is likely to rise, Police Major Nur Farah said at the scene of the blast.

“The place is busy with hotels and supermarkets. Most of the casualties are pedestrians. The casualty number is sure to rise,” Farah told Reuters by phone.

A Reuters reporter said the explosion was followed by gunfire and smoke could be seen rising from the scene. Part of a supermarket had been destroyed and three cars ruined.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the explosion and shooting, but al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab has in the past claimed responsibility for such actions in its campaign to topple the Western-backed government.

The government is battling to rebuild Somalia after more than two decades of conflict. Al Shabaab ruled much of Somalia until 2011, when it was driven out of Mogadishu by African and Somali troops.