Somalia says al-Shabab attack killed 5 outside capital

By AP 16 February 2022, 2:06 pm

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A young boy runs past the wreckage of a vehicle destroyed in an attack on police and checkpoints on the outskirts of the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)

An attack by the al-Shabab extremist group killed five people and wounds 16 on the outskirts of Somalia’s capital, police say.

Somalia’s government says the early morning attack targeted police and checkpoints outside of Mogadishu.

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab often targets Mogadishu, and the United Nations and other international observers have warned that the group would take advantage of Somalia’s current election crisis to launch more attacks.

National elections have been delayed for more than a year.