At least nine dead after Somalia car bomb

The ex-foreign minister of Somalia has been killed by a suicide car bomb near the presidential palace in capital Mogadishu, along with at least eight others.

Somalis walk near the wreckage after a suicide car bomb attack in the capital Mogadishu. Source: AP

Islamic extremists have exploded a suicide car bomb near the presidential palace in Somalia's capital of Mogadishu, killing at least nine people, including former Foreign Minister Hussein Elabe Fahiye.

Captain Mohamed Hussein told The Associated Press an additional 13 people were wounded and most of the casualties were soldiers.

The Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the blast, saying it targeted vehicles carrying government officials.