Two explosions have rocked Somalia's capital and left 11 people dead, as the al-Qaeda-linked extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility.
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Another 25 people were wounded, according to Somalia's General Bashir Abdi Mohamed.
He told reporters in Mogadishu the first car bomb went off near a security checkpoint for the presidential palace and was responsible for nine deaths.
The second car bomb killed the driver and his accomplice near a checkpoint on the road to the heavily fortified airport, he said on Saturday.
Al-Shabab, which often targets the capital, said the blasts were meant to strike the first line of security checkpoints for the airport and palace.
The airport is home to a number of diplomatic offices. The palace is a frequent al-Shabab target.
A witness said some of the victims were elderly.
"I was at a short distance from the blast and I saw several people dead including two women, a passenger and two men, some of whom were elderly," Hussein Mohamed said. "This is really very terrible."
Al-Shabab was responsible for the horrific truck bombing in Mogadishu in October 2017 that killed more than 500 people in one of the world's deadliest extremist attacks since 9/11 .
Australian Associated Press
