At least 3 killed in bomb explosion near Somalia's capital

At least three people were killed and 7 injured at a checkpoint near Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Wednesday night.

According to Somali ambulance service Aamin, the three dead victims were male and only one female among the injured.

Update: AaminAmbulance transported casualties of KM-14 explosion - 7 wounded people (1 female) & 3 male dead bodies. #Mogadishu pic.twitter.com/mG6HXwfA9W

— Aamin Ambulance (AaminAmbulance) July 12, 2017

Local media reports say a truck filled with explosives went off at the checkpoint on the highway linking Mogadishu and Afgoye.

This attack is the first this month after more than 10 people were killed and 20 others injured in a similar blast in Mogadishu in June.

Al Shabaab claimed responsibilty for the attack.

A week before that, al Shabaab militants carried out an overnight siege on a popular restaurant killing at least 30 people.

Al Shabaab has been able to carry out deadly bombings despite losing most of its territory to African Union peacekeepers supporting the Somali government.

The group’s insurgency aims to drive out the peacekeepers, topple Somalia’s western-backed government and impose its strict version of Islam on the Horn of Africa state.