Suicide blast hits Somali base outside capital

An al-Shabaab suicide bomber rammed a vehicle packed with explosives into the gate of a government base in Afgoye outside the Somali capital on Saturday causing casualties, the police and the rebels said, the Reuters news agency has reported. Government and African Union troops seized Afgoye from al-Shabaab rebels at the end of May. The town is about 30 km (19 miles) from Mogadishu on a key road that links the capital with rebel-held regions in the south of country. "A suicide car bomb rammed into the gate of a government base. There are casualties," Colonel Nur Hayr, a police officer, told Reuters. "Police and national security forces were there. We are investigating further details." Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack. "Our fighter managed to enter with his car bomb inside government forces base in Afgoye. We killed dozens," Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, the spokesman for al-Shabaab's military operations told Reuters. "The car was heavily laden with explosives. It is a great victory for al-Shabaab," he said.