Al-Qaeda bombs UN compound in Somalia, killing 15 It took Somali government troops, African Union peacekeepers and UN security close to 90 minutes to halt the assault and regain control of the office complex, which is ringed by high walls, wire and security measures. "Mujahideen units from the Martyrdom Brigade have stormed the [UN Development Programme] compound near the airport in Mogadishu," al-Shabaab said on its official Twitter feed. The Mujahideen attacked...about an hour ago and are now in complete control of the entire compound and the battle is still ongoing. The last major al-Shabaab attack in the capital was in April, when it sent a nine-man suicide unit to blast its way into Mogadishu's main court complex. Some of its fighters blew up their explosives vests while others sprayed gunfire in a rampage that killed 34 people, and Wednesday's attack on the UN compound used similar tactics to the courthouse assault. The 17,000-strong AU force, fighting alongside Somali government troops, has forced al-Shabaab from a series of key towns in southern Somalia. Despite being fractured by infighting and hunted by US drones, the extremists remain a potent threat, launching car bombs and assassinations. They are still powerful in rural areas as well as reportedly infiltrating the security forces. Abdi Farah Shirdon, Somalia's prime minister, said Wednesday's attack was "senseless and despicable." "The UN are our friends and partners, and the UN agencies offer us humanitarian help and support," he said. So I and all Somalis are appalled that they should be the target and victims of such barbaric violence. UN executives will review security and operations, but the attack was "unlikely to trigger a change in our attitude," said Mr Parker, the UN spokesman. "We knew that it was dangerous here, and there were mitigation measures in place that functioned as they should to a very large degree," he said.