A suicide bombing near the Somali capital of Mogadishu killed at least five people including two Turks, the Turkish health minister said, Al Jazeera reports.
Abdiasis Abu Musab, military operation spokesman for the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab, said the armed group was behind the attack on Saturday.
The Somalia-based group often targets the Somali capital Mogadishu with suicide bombings and other attacks, and it has exploded bombs against the Turkish military and other targets there in the past.
Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted that 14 people, including three Turks, were wounded and are being treated in a Mogadishu hospital named after Turkey’s president. He did not give the nationalities of the other three people who died.
“We strongly condemn this heinous attack targeting the employees of a Turkish company that undertook the Mogadishu-Afgoye road construction and contributes to the development and prosperity of Somalia,” a foreign ministry statement said.
Turkish security sources said the suicide attacker used a motorcycle. They said the attack took place 15km (8 miles) away from a Turkish military base, which was not affected. The base is Turkey’s largest military installation abroad.
Somali government officials did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. The attack occurred outside the capital, Mogadishu, according to residents in the area of the blast.
