Somalia: Car bomb explodes next to parliament in Mogadishu
An AMISOM soldier stands guard at Hotel Uruba in Mogadishu on October 24, 2012. Somalia’s Al-Qaeda linked Shabab insurgents are on the back foot, reeling from a string of losses as they battle a 17,000-strong African Union force as well as Ethiopian troops and Somali forces. But while the extremist movement is badly damaged a hard core remain a potent threat, linking up with regional Islamist groups and leaving operatives to launch attacks across the south, analysts warn.
A car bomb has exploded next to Somalia's parliament building in the capital Mogadishu, killing at least one person.
Reuters said the explosion happened Wednesday in a parking lot next to parliament while legislators were holding a session inside.
The car loaded with explosives was reportedly parked among those owned by Somali parliamentarians.
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A Somali soldier was killed in the explosion, Reuters reported.
Agence France-Presse said no group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.
The news agency noted that Islamist militant group Al Shabaab have been responsible for numerous attacks in the capital in the past year.
Last week Somalia got its first female foreign minister, in a cabinet formed by new Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon.
Fawzia Yusuf Haji Adam described her new post as "historic" for both her country and Somali women in particular.
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