A suspected al-Shabaab bomber detonated an explosives-laden 4x4 vehicle inside the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) compound near the KM4 junction, one of Mogadishu's busiest intersections, witnesses and officials told Somalia Report today. Latest reports obtained by Somalia Report indicate that at least five people, three Transitional Federal Government (TFG) soldiers and two civilians, were injured in today’s bombing.

Senior Somali police officer General Said Dahir Said told Somalia Report that four men parked the vehicle inside the CID compound and were subsequently detained by soldiers. The four were being interrogated when the vehicle exploded.

"I think one of the arrested men detonated the carbomb, because sometimes they use mobiles or other devices to remote-detonate the bombs," said General Said. He said two government soldiers had been injured in the blast.

Thick black smoke rose from the scene, and some distance away there were shattered windows and scattered pieces of twisted metal, suggesting the blast had been severe.

"It was a very powerful blast," said witness Mohamed Dahir.

“We are still trying to confirm the casualties, but I can say that the enemies of peace who carried out this attack were not martyrs, but murderers,” a senior TFG official, who asked not to be named, told Somalia Report.

“We arrested four men, but we also believe that there may be some other people involved, who might have stayed outside the building, were left behind to detonate the car bomb, using either a cell phone or just remote,” senior military officer Aden Kaalmooy Dhaqane told local reporters. "We will investigate it and hope we bring the criminals to justice."

The militant group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack on the TFG base in Mogadishu.

A statement from al-Shabaab on their ostensible Twitter page said, "A remote controlled car bomb inside the largest TFG compound killed 13 police apostate soldiers and injured more than 20. At least seven TFG police vehicles were destroyed and a large portion of the building collapsed as a result of the explosion.” Adding, "the mujahideen successfully parked the explosive-laden car inside the compound before remotely detonating half an hour later, and at least seven TFG police vehicles were destroyed."

Earlier, al-Shabaab said today's explosion is part of a new series of attacks that will target the 'crusaders' and TFG bases in the capital. “It was a successful attack, and many attacks will follow. We advise our muslim brothers to stay away from the bases of the disbelievers," an al-Shabaab spokesman said.

Although the security situation in Mogadishu has improved since al-Shabaab vacated the city last August, bombings, land mines, hand grenade attacks, and assassinations continue unabated in Somalia's capital.

The fear in Mogadishu has influenced every aspect of life for both government employees and civilians, and in this article we focus on how car bombings have affected the lives of taxi drivers.

Several bombings in Mogadishu have involved cars, including the recent attack near the Muna hotel that killed at least 15 people and injured dozens, leaving Mogadishu residents in a state of perpetual mistrust and suspicion.

In the days following the attack, Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) security forces opened fire several times on taxi drivers because they suspected them of carrying explosives. Residents have been extremely nervous around cars with tinted windows, sometimes running away when they see them.

Most taxi drivers station themselves near hotels and other populated areas with many potential customers, which increases the suspicion they are placed under.

Somalia Report interviewed some taxi drivers about the difficulties they are facing today.

“Driving cabs in Mogadishu is dangerous,” said Ali Mohamed (Ali Jiis), a Mogadishu taxi driver. “Since suicide car bombings have increased in the city we have come under threat from the TFG. Whenever we park our cars, people suspect us of carrying explosives and run away from us,” Mohamed told Somalia Report.

Farah Hajji Omar is another taxi driver, who told Somalia Report that he cannot park and leave his car unattended, because police might seize it.

“I remember the car bombing near the Muna Hotel. Before the attack three cars had parked alongside us, but we did not suspect any of them. A little later the bomber moved the car a short distance and exploded it when people were gathering near the hotel,” Omar said.

Omar also said that TFG police had arrested several taxi drivers on false charges, confiscating their cars before having established whether they were criminals or not.

Most of taxi drivers park near the Sahafi Hotel, located at Kilometer 4 junction, the busiest intersection in Mogadishu. Mohamed Hassan Gafaa, an administrator working for the Sahafi Hotel, told Somalia Report that he always argues with cab drivers to move away from the hotel grounds, because they could be potential kidnappers.

Since al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda declared their unification, residents of Mogadishu have been fearing a rise in suicide attacks. Warsame Mohamed Hassan, deputy security chief of Banadir Administration, has warned that the number of car bombings may increase, calling on Mogadishu residents to take caution and inform security institutions of suspicious activity.

Although several suicide attacks have been prevented and many more suspects arrested (AMISOM peacekeepers claim to have uncovered 70% of planned attacks), locals still feel the police have not responded to these attacks appropriately. Police claim that it is difficult to distinguish the criminals from regular locals.

“We are trying to curb attacks like these, but we need the cooperation of the people and we urge citizens to report those who are creating insecurity,” said Mohamud Ahmed Nuur Tarsan, Mogadishu's mayor.

There are more people driving cars in Mogadishu since al-Shabaab fighters were forced to flee from city in August of last year, partly due to the surge of diaspora Somalis returning home.

TFG security authorities and the Ministry of Transportation has issued an order prohibiting cars with tinted windows, but TFG officers themselves have not adhered to the order, fearing for their security.

At least 13 people were killed and 11 others wounded after a powerful suicide car bomb struck the Muna hotel, near the presidential compound in central Mogadishu this afternoon. Severely burnt bodies were scattered on the spot in the aftermath the attack.

Government soldiers arrived at the scene to disperse the people trying to help the wounded and collect the bodies of the dead, firing gunshots in all directions, according to Somalia Report's correspondent. Some of the wounded were taken by ambulance to hospital.

TFG Colonel Khalif Ereg told Somalia Report that security forces had apprehended six men in two vehicles who had thrown grenades into the crowd gathering after the blast.

TFG Colonel Abdullah Hassan Pariseh spoke to Somalia Report at the scene of the bombing, condemning the attack.

“This is another tragic incident, we confirm that about 11 people were killed in the attack and 15 others were injured, we still trying to find out more," Pariseh said. "We can only assume that the merciless group of al-Shabaab was responsible. No one else could have carried out this cruel act." (Two more people died since our correspondent spoke to the colonel.)

According to Somali member of parliament Dahir Abdulkadir Muse, at least two MPs were among the injured. The bomb struck during a time of day when many people congregate in the area.

An eyewitness near the hotel, Abdinur Sheikh, described the attack to Somalia Report.

"I saw the car before it exploded. I was in the spot just minutes before, but fortunately I had moved back a few hundred steps when I heard a large explosion behind me," Sheikh said.

"I felt like I had been flattened, such was the scale of the blast," he added.

Fowsiya Abdule, another witness, described the attack as ruthless and cowardly.

“It is great loss. These people were massacred by a merciless attacker, and for what? They were mostly civilians who came here every afternoon here to drink coffee and see each other," she said.

Government troops are currently patrolling the streets near the hotel, stopping and searching vehicles, and turning back those trying to approach the area of the blast.

In a press conference, al-Shabaab spokesman Abdulaziz Abu Musab claimed responsibility for the attack. Al-Shabaab insurgents have carried out numerous suicide attacks targeting government centers, busy streets, and hotels.

The Muna hotel, popular with Somali politicians, was also the location of an al-Shabaab attack on August 24, 2010, when four gunmen wearing military uniforms killed 32 people. Six TFG members of parliament lost their lives in in the attack.

TGF Statement on the Attack

(Mogadishu, February 8, 2012) The Somali Government strongly condemns a car bomb that killed 13 civilians and injured at least 11 more at business neighborhood in Hamar Weyne district in Mogadishu.

The casualties are mostly civilians including barbers, taxi drivers, waiters, and other civilians.

The Ministry of Interior and National Security confirmed that two MPs were lightly wounded in the attack and stated that this was a suicide attack carried out by al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda-linked terror group in Somalia.

Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunications, H.E. Abdulkadir Hussein Mohamed, said:

“We condemn this heinous attack in our strongest terms. They have no motive other than to terrorize the Somali people who are running their daily lives. It shows their brutality and lack of respect for humanity.”

The President, Deputy Prime Minister and several ministers, who visited the scene and Madina Hospital where the victims have been hospitalized, conveyed their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families of the victims and expressed their hope that the injured would make a fast recovery.

The attack comes as people in Mogadishu mostly returned to their homes and started to rebuild their lives after years of displacement.

A suicide bombing targeted the home of former warlord and Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) minister of mineral resources and water, Abdi Hassan Awale Qeybdiid, as he conducted a meeting between clan elders and Galmudug politicians in the southern part of Galkayo, the joint capital of the semi-autonomous regions of Puntland and Galmudug, and killed four people.

"A loud explosion was heard all across south Galkayo...the gate of the house has completely collapsed,” Ali Hashi, an eyewitness in Galkayo, told Somalia Report.

Qeybdiid himself was unhurt and spoke to the media.

''Four were killed, including two of my guards, a woman, and the suicide bomber. There were two attackers and one escaped. One of them was suicide bomber. I was in the living room at the time of the attack meeting with some elders, and my guards has defeated them,'' said Mr. Qeybdiid.

Security forces have cordoned off the area and are investigating the incident. There has been no comment from Galmudug officials.

Al-Shabaab Commander Sheikh Abdi-Aziiz Abu Mus'ab today said the attack was conducted by one of their own 'well trained' suicide bombers.

"It was Jihad attack, which killed dozens of Qaybdiid's guards,'' the commander told Radio Andalus, a pro-al-Shabaab radio station. "Mr. Qaybdiid was a member of disbelievers, and he supports the transitional government," he added.

The bombing is the latest in a series of destabilizing incidents to rock Galkayo. Pirate groups operating in Mudug region have carried out several high profile kidnappings in Galkayo, including the abduction of Danish Demining Group aid workers Jessica Buchanan and Poul Thisted, as well as the recent kidnapping of American journalist Michael Scott Moore.

Galkayo has also seen a surge in activity from the Islamist group al-Shabaab, as well as mounting clan violence, over the past year.

During the civil war, Qeybdiid was associated with the Somali National Alliance rebel group, serving as interior minister to famed warlord General Mohamed Farah Aidid. Qeybdiid later split with Aidid in 1996, and in 2007 he relocated to Mogadishu and joined the TFG as a police commissioner, commanding a 500-strong militia. He would go on to become TFG's minister of water and mineral resources during the tenure of Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke.

Qeybdiid has been actively involved in directing Galmudug's recent campaign to eradicate piracy, though he currently holds no official position. He has also actively opposed al-Shabaab militants operating in the Galgudud region, which lies south of Galkayo.