Two car bombs in the Somali capital killed six people and injured at least five others on Sunday, witnesses said.
One of the car bombs exploded at a key checkpoint in Mogadishu, killing four people and injuring at least four others, according to medical sources.
Raw video from the scene of the bombings:
Witnesses said the car, driven by a suicide bomber, rammed into the checkpoint at high speed after a soldier flagged it to stop. The soldier was killed immediately, according to witnesses.
Three civilian bystanders were also killed, as well as the bomber.
Ambulances rushed to the scene and evacuated the dead and wounded. The head of the Mogadishu ambulance service, Dr. Abdulkadir Abdirahman Aden, confirmed the the number of casualties to VOA Somali.
The explosion occurred in a heavily protected area of the city. The checkpoint leads to a number of key installations, including the Ministry of Interior, Parliament, and another checkpoint used by security forces to defend the presidential palace.
Cars and motorbikes using the road were destroyed. The explosion also caused the destruction of several buildings at the Sayidka intersection.
Earlier Sunday, another car bomb exploded close to a security checkpoint outside Mogadishu, killing the bomber and injuring a police officer. Police said the car exploded during a chase.
Sunday’s explosions come just three days after another car bomb killed 17 people in Mogadishu and injured eight others on the city's busiest street.
