One soldier is dead after an explosion that went off outside the Somali parliament building in Mogadishu Wednesday.
A VOA Somali Service reporter says a car full of explosives blew up in the parking lot of the building while lawmakers were meeting inside.
At least three other people were injured in the explosion. All members of parliament were reported to be safe and unharmed.
No one claimed responsibility for the blast, but Somali militant group al-Shabab carries out periodic bombings and suicide attacks in Mogadishu.
The group has vowed to continue fighting despite losing most of its territory over the past two years to African Union and Somali government forces.
On Tuesday, a purported message from al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri urged al-Shabab to wage guerilla warfare against foreign troops in the country.
The newly-installed Somali government hopes to restore order to a country that has not had a stable central authority for over two decades.
A VOA Somali Service reporter says a car full of explosives blew up in the parking lot of the building while lawmakers were meeting inside.
At least three other people were injured in the explosion. All members of parliament were reported to be safe and unharmed.
No one claimed responsibility for the blast, but Somali militant group al-Shabab carries out periodic bombings and suicide attacks in Mogadishu.
The group has vowed to continue fighting despite losing most of its territory over the past two years to African Union and Somali government forces.
On Tuesday, a purported message from al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahiri urged al-Shabab to wage guerilla warfare against foreign troops in the country.
The newly-installed Somali government hopes to restore order to a country that has not had a stable central authority for over two decades.
