Reports indicate that an explosion has occurred at Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, injuring an unspecified number of soldiers.
Multiple reports say a suicide bomber targeted vehicles at a checkpoint on the route leading to Aden Adde International Airport.
The militant group, al-Shabab, said it carried out the attack which caused several casualties.
According to local authorities, the incident in the Kilometre-Four Junction left a number of people injured, including soldiers and civilians.
The region is fewer than 5 kilometers from the airport, where presidential contenders are expected to deliver campaign speeches to parliament.
News Central earlier reported that the African Union mission in the country has imposed a curfew at the air force hangar and it surroundings for Sunday’s presidential election.
The president will be chosen by MPs from 39 candidates who have put themselves forward.
The convoluted voting process, which involves the indirect election of members for both houses of parliament, has already been postponed for more than a year, partially due to the country’s insecurity.
A mortar assault last month disrupted a legislative session in which newly sworn-in MPs were present. A number of people were hurt.
In March, News Central reported that four Turkish Nationals were injured in Mogadishu when a roadside bomb exploded as their vehicle drove through the Taleh district, according to police.
A police officer told newsmen that three Turkish nationals and their Somali driver were wounded. The officer said the Turkish nationals were in Mogadishu for private business.
The bombing on Thursday wasn’t the first time Turkish tourists in Somalia had been targeted.
Al-Shabab militants in Somalia are getting “bolder” in their attacks and have increased using suicide bombers wearing homemade explosives in what security experts call a “change in tactics.”
Recall that the militant group mounted one of its deadliest attacks in March 2022, targeting elections at the regional presidential palace in Beledweyne town around 300 km north of Mogadishu. 48 people were killed, and more than 100 others wounded.
Among the dead was a member of parliament, Amina Mohamed, a vocal critic to the government, who was on the campaign trail when she was targeted and killed by a suicide bomber wearing an explosive vest.