Suicide Car Bombing in Somalia's Capital Kills at Least 6

CBS, NAIROBI, Kenya — At least six people were killed, including two children, after a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle outside a district headquarters in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, authorities said Sunday. Capt. Mohamed Hussein said the bomber tried to speed through a checkpoint but was stopped by security forces, prompting him to detonate the vehicle near the gate of Howlwadag district headquarters.

The three soldiers who stopped the truck were killed instantly and the three others killed were civilians, said the Mogadishu mayor's spokesman, Salah Hassan Omar.

Fourteen people, including six children, need intensive care, said the Aamin Ambulance service. Among the wounded was deputy district commissioner Ibrah Hassan Matan.

Many victims were students at a nearby Islamic school. Officials warned there could be more casualties as the blast brought down nearby buildings including a mosque.

"I saw bodies strewn on the ground after the explosion before the ambulances and the paramedics reached the scene and the whole scene was very ugly," witness Halima Mohamed said.

The attacker "literally failed to achieve their goal of inflicting maximum casualties," police captain Hussein said, accusing the al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab of carrying out the attack.

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