Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Smoke is seen rising above the city after the deadly attack

A suicide bomber has attacked a government office in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, causing a nearby school to collapse, police say.

The car bomb in Howlwadag district killed three soldiers and injured 14 people, including six children, local officials told BBC Somali.

The blast also damaged nearby houses and blew the roof off a mosque.

The militant group al-Shabab, which has waged an insurgency for more than 10 years, said it carried out the attack.

The three soldiers had died as they stopped the explosives-laden car from entering a government compound, local official Salah Hassan Omar said.

Raqiya Mahamed Ali, who was in the compound at the time, said: "We were in the middle of our usual work when the explosion happened.

"I hid under the table. There was a lot of gunfire at our gate... when I came out, I saw many people injured on the ground and others dead," she told Reuters.

Somalia has faced instability and violence since 1991, when the military government was overthrown.

Image copyright EPA Image caption The blast killed three soldiers and injured several children

The ousting of Mohamed Siad Barre led to a decades-long civil war between rival warlords, and two northern regions - Somaliland and Puntland - effectively broke away from Somalia.

Much of the country has effectively been a war zone.

A UN-backed unity government was formed in 2012. Al-Shabab has since been driven out of many urban areas but still controls territory in rural regions and carries out gun attacks and bombings on military and civilian targets.

Image copyright Twitter/@abdi_adaani Image caption A suicide bomber rammed a car into the district office

The militant group has imposed a strict version of Sharia in areas under its control, including stoning to death women accused of adultery and amputating the hands of thieves.

A truck attack in Mogadishu in October last year killed at least 500 people in the deadliest bombing in Somalia.

A man accused of leading an al-Shabab unit that carried out the attack was sentenced to death in February.</s>MODADISHU: A suicide bomber has attacked a government office in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, causing a nearby school to collapse, police say, BBC News reported.

The car bomb in Howlwadag district killed three soldiers and injured 14 people, including six children, local officials said.The blast also damaged nearby houses and blew the roof off a mosque. The militant group al-Shabab, which has waged an insurgency for more than 10 years, said it carried out the attack.

The three soldiers had died as they stopped the explosives-laden car from entering a government compound, local official Salah Hassan Omar said.Raqiya Mahamed Ali, who was in the compound at the time, said: “We were in the middle of our usual work when the explosion happened.

“I hid under the table. There was a lot of gunfire at our gate... when I came out, I saw many people injured on the ground and others dead,” she told Reuters.Somalia has faced instability and violence since 1991, when the military government was overthrown. The ousting of Mohamed Siad Barre led to a decades-long civil war between rival warlords, and two northern regions - Somaliland and Puntland - effectively broke away from Somalia.

Much of the country has effectively been a war zone.A UN-backed unity government was formed in 2012. Al-Shabab has since been driven out of many urban areas but still controls territory in rural regions and carries out gun attacks and bombings on military and civilian targets

The militant group has imposed a strict version of Sharia in areas under its control, including stoning to death women accused of adultery and amputating the hands of thieves. A truck attack in Mogadishu in October last year killed at least 500 people in the deadliest bombing in Somalia. A man accused of leading an al-Shabab unit that carried out the attack was sentenced to death in February.

On Saturday, militants have killed up to 30 soldiers in an attack on a military base in northeast Nigeria, security sources said on Saturday, in one of the biggest attacks of its kind this year. Thursday’s attack by suspected members of Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) was on a base in Zari village in the north of Borno State.</s>Mogadishu (Somalia), Sep 2 (IANS) Three soldiers were killed and 14 persons injured after a suicide bomber attacked a government office here on Sunday, police said.

The blast also damaged nearby houses, blew off the roof of a mosque and caused a nearby school to collapse, BBC reported.

Police officer Abdullahi Hussein said a suicide bomber had rammed a car into the district office in Howlwadag district.

The militant group al-Shabab, which has waged an insurgency for more than 10 years, has claimed to be behind the attack.

In a similar incident on July 14, seven people were killed and several others injured in two explosions near the presidential palace in Mogadishu.</s>At least six people were killed and more than 12 injured after a car bomb exploded in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Sunday, reported Reuters. The suicide attack took place outside a local government office in the centre of the city.

Police officer Mohamed Hussein confirmed six fatalities, which included soldiers, civilians and the suicide bomber.

The bomber attempted to drive through a checkpoint but was stopped by security forces. This prompted the bomber to detonate the explosives-laden car near the building, Al Jazeera quoted Hussein as saying.

The explosion destroyed the Hawlwadag district office, a school opposite the building, and a few homes in the vicinity. Most students in the school were away from the building for a break when the blast occurred.

Islamist militant group Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack. “We targeted the district office in which there was a meeting,” said Abdiasis Abu Musab, the group’s military operations spokesperson. “We killed 10 people so far, we shall give details later.” The group, an affiliate of the al-Qaeda, has been fighting to overthrow the United Nations-backed government in Mogadishu, which was established in 2012.

While the Al Shabaab has been driven out of many cities, it controls areas in rural pockets, according to the BBC. It has imposed a strict version of Sharia in places under its control, including amputating the hands of thieves and stoning to death women accused of adultery.</s>At least six people were killed when a suicide car bomb struck a local government office in central Mogadishu on Sunday, destroying the building and a Quranic school opposite.

Islamist militant group Al Shabaab said it was behind the attack on Hawlwadag district office, which also blew off the roof of a mosque and damaged houses nearby.

WATCH: At least 3 dead, seven wounded after bomb blast tears through centre of Somalia’s capital

At least six people had been killed, including soldiers, civilians and the suicide bomber, and a dozen injured, according to police officer Mohamed Hussein.

The school was open but at the time of the blast most children were away from the building on a break.

Earlier the director of the Amin ambulance service told Reuters that at least 14 people had been injured, including six children.

A Reuters journalist on the scene saw a human hand and blood stains in the rubble as people searched for survivors.

Abdiasis Abu Musab, Al Shabaab’s military operations spokesman, said the group had carried out the attack.

“We are behind the suicide attack. We targeted the district office in which there was a meeting. We killed 10 people so far, we shall give details later.”

WATCH: At least 13 dead after bombings in Somalia’s capital

Somalia has been wracked by lawlessness and violence since 1991. Islamist group al Shabaab is fighting to dislodge a Western-backed government protected by African Union-mandated peacekeepers.</s>A vehicular terror attack, perpetrated by organization Al-Shabab, in Somalia's capital city, Mogadishu, claims the lives of at least six people though the count is rising.

On Sunday, a terrorist attack rocked Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. The perpetrator planned to target a government building, Howlwadag district headquarters, in the city. However, as he drove full speed towards the building, he was stopped at a checkpoint by security forces, triggered by his suspicious behavior. As a result, he detonated at the check point, too early for his target but still close enough to create some definite damage. The government building was destroyed.

The three soldiers that stopped the car were the first three victims, and another three civilians, including two children, were also killed. At least another additional 14 people were injured, including six children, who all now need intensive care, the Aamin Ambulance service acknowledged. The deputy district commissioner, Ibrah Hassan Matan, was one of those wounded in the attack.

“[The attacker] literally failed to achieve their goal of inflicting maximum casualties,” police captain Mohamed Hussein said.

However, many children were injured or killed in this attack. This is because the terrorist could not get close enough to his intended target and detonated early, and so he ended up doing so next to a nearby Quranic school. The school was open during the attack, but many of the students were on a break and out of the building by the time it occurred.

Many nearby buildings were also destroyed or majorly impacted, such as a mosque whose roof was blown off, which may cause them to later collapse and injure or kill more people as a result of this attack.

“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 told The Indian Express. A journalist for Reuters who happened to be on the scene also reportedly witnessed a severed hand and much blood as Mogadishu residents combed through the rubble of the destroyed buildings in their search for survivors.

“We are behind the suicide attack. We targeted the district office in which there was a meeting. We killed 10 people so far, we shall give details later.” said Abdiasis Abu Musab, the military operations spokesman for Al-Shabab, a terrorist organization in Somalia with close ties to Al-Qaeda, while claiming credit for the attack. The Somalia based terrorist organization also took credit for a car bombing in Mogadishu that took place in October of 2017 that killed more than 512 people.</s>MOGADISHU: A suicide car bomb killed three security guards and injured several more people in the heart of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday, authorities said.

Islamist extremists of the Al-Shabaab movement immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

"There was a car bomb blast targeting the district administration offices and three people died and several others wounded," Mogadishu administration spokesman Salah Hassan Omar told reporters at the scene.

He said the dead were security guards at the building's main entrance where the blast occurred.

Witnesses said the explosion destroyed the building.

"The blast was very huge, it affected several nearby buildings including a Koranic school and a mosque," said witness Abdukadir Dahir.

"Eight people were wounded among them several students who stayed at a nearby madrasa," he added.

The militants' claim came in a brief statement posted on a pro-Shabaab website.

"The Mujahedeen attacked the headquarter of the apostate administration... using a vehicle loaded with explosives, there are casualties," it said.

Somalia suffered the worst terror attack of its history in October last year.

More than 500 people were killed in Mogadishu in a truck bombing attributed to Al-Shabaab.

The Islamists, forced out of the capital in 2011, are fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government. They still hold sway over vast rural areas.

A 20,000-strong African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was deployed in 2007 under a UN mandate to shore up the government.</s>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, authorities said Sunday.

Police captail 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 need intensive care, including six children, said the Aamin Ambulance service.

Among the wounded was deputy district commissioner Ibrah Hassan Matan, and any 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.</s>MOGADISHU: A suicide car bomb killed three security guards and injured several more people in the heart of the Somali capital Mogadishu on Sunday, authorities said.

Extremists of the Al-Shabaab movement immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. "There was a car bomb blast targeting the district administration offices and three people died and several others wounded," Mogadishu administration spokesman Salah Hassan Omar told reporters at the scene. He said the dead were security guards at the building’s main entrance where the blast occurred.

Witnesses said the explosion destroyed the building. "The blast was very huge, it affected several nearby buildings including a Quranic school and a mosque," said witness Abdukadir Dahir.

"Eight people were wounded among them several students who stayed at a nearby madrasa," he added. The militants’ claim came in a brief statement posted on a pro-Shabaab website.

"The Mujahedeen attacked the headquarter of the apostate administration... using a vehicle loaded with explosives, there are casualties," it said. Somalia suffered the worst terror attack of its history in October last year. More than 500 people were killed in Mogadishu in a truck bombing attributed to Al-Shabaab.</s>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, 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.

Al-Shabab later claimed responsibility for the explosion, which shattered a period of calm in seaside Mogadishu. The Somalia-based al-Shabab often targets the capital with bombings, including a truck bombing in October that left at least 512 people dead.

Somali troops are meant to take over the Horn of Africa nation’s security in the coming years from an African Union force but concerns about their readiness remain high. The U.N. Security Council recently voted to delay the reduction of troops in the AU force from October to February and the target date to hand over security to Somali forces to December 2021.

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A suicide bomber attacks a government building in Mogadishu, Somalia, and causes the collapse of an adjacent school. Three deaths and 14 injuries are reported.