By The Associated Press

The New York Times

5 July 2014

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Four people were killed Saturday when a car laden with explosives blew up near the Parliament building in the Somali capital, a police official said.

The Shabab, the Somali militants who have recently targeted members of Parliament, claimed responsibility.

Capt. Mohammed Hussein said the car exploded at a checkpoint where it had been stopped by Somali troops. The dead were soldiers and refugees from an internal refugee camp near the checkpoint, Captain Hussein said.

Troops had ordered the driver out of the car for a search when he detonated the explosives, Captain Hussein said.

Seven children from the camp were wounded in the attack.

Somali legislators were holding a meeting at the Parliament at the time of the attack, but the Shabab did not say what the intended target was.

The Shabab, who have links to Al Qaeda, have said they were responsible for the killing of a Somali lawmaker and his bodyguard in a drive-by shooting in recent weeks.

The targeting of members of Parliament appears to be a new strategy for the Shabab. The Parliament is seen as an emerging pillar of democracy in Somalia, which has been ravaged by war.

Shabab militants have previously carried out attacks against United Nations staff members, government officials and African Union peacekeepers.

The group has staged attacks in neighboring countries including Kenya and Uganda, which have sent troops to Somalia under the banner of the African Union to bolster the country’s weak United Nations-backed government.

Last month, the Shabab claimed responsibility for an attack on the Kenyan coast that left 65 people dead. Last year, the militants killed 67 people in an attack on an upscale mall in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

Featured Image: A car exploded at a checkpoint in Mogadishu, killing soldiers and refugees at a nearby camp (Feisa Omar/ Reuters)

Copyright 2014. The New York Time

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