Somalia: 9 Dead, Dozens Injured in Attack Claimed by al-Shabaab

Somali Police Captain Mohamed Hussein confirmed an attack on the country's interior ministry, which reportedly claimed the lives of 9 people and injured dozens.

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The suicide bomb attack took place early Saturday in the capital Mogadishu when a car loaded with explosives detonated near the entrance of the ministry, near the presidential palace and parliament headquarters.

Police reported that a gunfire exchange resulted in the deaths of at least three of the attackers.

According to AP, a second explosion went off at a police station near the site of the first blast. The attacks have been claimed by al-Shabaab, an armed group which aims to overthrow Somalia's central government and to establish its own rule.

However, since 2010, the presence of the al-Qaida linked group has been significantly reduced or removed entirely from several major regions of Somalia.

Al-Shabaab was blamed for an October truck bombing that killed more than 500 people.

The United States has launched several military operations in the African nation as well as maintain a military presence. Somalia's security has, for many years, been overseen by a multinational African Union force.