10 killed in twin explosions in Somalia

Mogadishu, July 26 (IANS) At least 10 people were killed in twin explosions near the airport in Mogadishu, Somalia security officials said on Tuesday.

Al-Shabaab, a terrorist group based in East Africa, claimed responsibility for the attack, Xinhua news agency reported.

Meanwhile, an African Union spokesman said militants targeted its base in Halane near the airport.

Abdifitah Ahmed, a police officer at the scene, told Xinhua that the first explosion hit the entrance of the airport while the second hit a checkpoint nearby.

"We are yet to get more details," he said. The nationalities of the killed have not been confirmed.

There were huge blasts near the airport, a witness said. "I heard two huge explosions and there were bodies of people strewn over the place."