Mogadishu Car Bomb Kills at Least 30 in Mogadishu

[Deeq A.]

Somali officials say at least 30 people were killed and dozens wounded when a huge car bomb exploded at a busy junction on the southwestern side of Mogadishu.

Witnesses say the blast occurred at a security checkpoint at an intersection used by vehicles leaving and entering Mogadishu from Afgoye town. An officer said it was a truck bomb.

Early reports indicated the vehicle filled with explosives was targeting a busy taxation office at the junction where vehicles stop to pay their road taxes.

The first pictures from the scene show at least 15 dead bodies lying on the ground.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast. However, the al-Qaida-linked terror group al-Shabab has carried out similar attacks in the past.

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