MOGADISHU, September 10, 2018 (Reuters) - A suicide car bomb rammed into a local government office in Somalia's capital Mogadishu today causing casualties, a police officer told Reuters. A Reuters witness saw huge clouds of smoke above the city following a loud blast and gunfire. "A suicide car bomb rammed into the office of Hodan district of Mogadishu. There are casualties but so far we do not have a figure," major Mohamed Nur, a police officer, told Reuters. Witnesses said the office was destroyed. "A speeding 4x4 car ran into the district office," witness Hussein Osman told Reuters. "I ran away and now I see from far the office completely destroyed. I see ambulances carrying casualties but I cannot make out how many dead or injured. I could see five people being taken by ambulance." Last week, a suicide car bomb destroyed another district office of Mogadishu. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab frequently carry out bombings and gun attacks in the capital Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia. They are fighting to topple Somalia's Western-backed central government and establish their own rule based on their strict interpretation of Islamic law.
