Militants launch attacks on European and US military targets in Somalia

Al Shabab militants in Somalia launched two attacks on US and European military targets on Monday, officials said.

The first attack was on a military airstrip which is a base for US and Somalia forces in the Lower Shabelle region in southern Somalia. 

A suicide car bomber detonated a vehicle packed with explosives at the gate of the Belidogle airstrip, said Yusuf Abdourahman, a security official with the Lower Shabelle regional administration. 

Bursts of gunfire could be heard across the base after bombing, suggesting an ongoing attack on the base.

The militant group have claimed the responsibility for the attack.

The US military uses the Belidogle airstrip base to launch drones that attack al Shabab targets and to train Somali troops.

The second attack was by a suicide car bomber targeting Italian peacekeepers in Mogadishu. 

The explosion missed the European Union peacekeepers but injured Somali civilians who were nearby, according to reports.

Attack on Turkish Maarif Foundation

Al Shabaab had  targeted a Turkish education body’s vehicle in Mogadishu, injuring at least two people last week. 

An improvised explosive device (IED) targeted a bulletproof vehicle carrying Turkish engineers of the Maarif Foundation near the busy KM-5 intersection known as Zoobe on Thursday, said Jabril Ibrahim Ali, a police officer in Mogadishu.

The wounded have been rushed to the hospital and their condition is not life-threatening, hospital sources said. Local media reports said a Turkish woman was injured in the attack but the engineers are safe.

Through their propaganda radio, Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab militants claimed responsibility for the attack.