Shabaab kills nine in attack on ministry

Somalia's al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab militants April 14 blasted their way into the higher education ministry with a car bomb before storming the building, killing nine people.

Police and witnesses said the car bomb caused a huge explosion which allowed the gunmen to force their way into the fortified building.

"One policeman and eight civilians were killed in the attack, and a dozen others were wounded including a senior education ministry official," police officer Mohamed Dahir said. Police regained control of the building after around an hour-long attack, which began when "a car loaded with explosives rammed the gate," Dahir added.

Witness Idil Malim said bodies of those killed and wounded lay around the complex.

"There were several people lying dead at the scene," he said.

Shabaab spokesman Abdulaziz Abu Musab claimed responsibility, boasting that their gunmen had been in "fully in control" of the ministry, as well as entering a neighboring building housing the oil ministry.