At least five people including two children were killed

At least five people including two children were killed on Monday in a car bomb blast outside government offices in the capital Mogadishu, a local government spokesman said.The car, which was packed w

"Five civilians, including two school children, were killed in the blast which was caused by a car parked there, and seven others were wounded," said the spokesman, Abdifatah Omar Halane. "The explosion was caused by a car loaded with explosives," police officer Ibrahim Mohamed said. Witnesses said two children were among those killed. "I saw several people, some of them dead, and among them were two children," said local resident Muhsin Abdirahman. No group has so far claimed the attack but Al-Qaeda linked insurgent group the Shebab, which is fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government frequently deploys car bombs.

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The United Nations mission in Somalia said it "strongly condemns" the attack, which it said "bears hallmarks" of a Shebab operation.

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