Mogadishu--Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab militants on Tuesday blasted their way into the higher education ministry with a car bomb before storming the building, killing nine people.
Police and witnesses said the car bomb caused a huge explosion which allowed the gunmen to force their way into the fortified building.
"One policeman and eight civilians were killed in the attack, and a dozen others were wounded including a senior education ministry official," police officer Mohamed Dahir said.
Police regained control of the building after around an hour-long attack, which began when "a car loaded with explosives rammed the gate," Dahir added.
Witness Idil Malim said bodies of those killed and wounded lay around the complex.
"There were several people lying dead at the scene," he said.
Shebab spokesman Abdulaziz Abu Musab claimed responsiblity, boasting that their gunmen had been in "fully in control" of the ministry, as well as entering a neighbouring building housing the oil ministry.
As government forces retook the compound and fighting ended the fate of the gunmen was not immediately clear; whether they had been killed in the assault or had managed to escape.
The building is in the K5 district of the capital, which has been hit by a string of similar attacks in recent months.
The Shebab rebels stage regular attacks in the capital as part of their fight against the country's internationally-backed government and African Union forces supporting it.
AFP
