Soldiers Killed In Car Bomb Attack Outside Somali Army Base

At least eight Somali soldiers have been killed and others injured after a car bomb exploded outside a military base in the country's capital.

Police told Associated Press the casualty toll in the Mogadishu attack, which includes 14 wounded personnel, is expected to rise. Colonel Ahmed Muse also said the bomber struck the 12th April Army Brigade base near a newly reopened sports stadium in the city.

The al Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group quickly claimed responsibility via its radio arm, Andalus.

The return of the sports facility in the Warta-Nabadda district was celebrated as a sign of hope for peace after three decades of conflict in the region.

However, mortar blasts outside the stadium marred the ceremony.

Al-Shabab has recently improved its ability to build explosives, supporting its work by taxing travellers along major routes in the country and extorting businesses.

Despite being the target of multiple US strikes in the past year, the group often targets military sites in Mogadishu and controls large parts of southern and central Somalia.

A lack of sufficient progress in security was cited as one of several reasons behind a parliament vote of no confidence last month, which saw former prime minister Hassan Ali Khaire ousted.