A tea shop explosion on the outskirts of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, has killed at least 8 people, as many as six of them government soldiers.
The Somali defense ministry says Friday's blast was caused by an improvised explosive device.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but al-Shabab militants periodically carry out bomb attacks in Mogadishu.
The militant group once controlled most of the Somali capital, but was driven out of Mogadishu and other major Somali cities by an African Union-led peacekeeping force.
The al-Qaida-linked group is still considered a threat. In September, al-Shabab claimed responsibility for an assault on a shopping mall in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, that killed more than 60 people.
VOA's Somali service contributed to this report.
