Four civilians killed in Islamist attack in Somalia – police

At least four civilians were killed in the Somali capital on Monday when Islamist militants opened fire on government officials in a car and then a car bomb exploded, police and a spokesman for Mogadishu’s mayor said.

A spokesman for al Shabaab claimed responsibility and said several members of the security forces, rather than civilians, were killed.

The group frequently launches assaults in the capital aimed at toppling the Western-backed government.