Car Bomb Hits Somali Capital

FILE - Security troops walk past burning cars after a fatal car bomb attack on a restaurant in Mogadishu, Somalia, May, 8, 2017.

Officials in Mogadishu, Somalia's capital, say a car bomb has hit a district headquarters, killing at least six people and injuring 16.

The blast targeted the headquarters of Hodan district in Mogadishu. Witnesses said the explosion Monday caused massive destruction to the building.

"The blast was huge," police officer Ibrahim Mohamed, told the French news agency, AFP.

The al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility via their affiliate social media accounts.

It is the second time the group has targeted a local district headquarters in Mogadishu this month. On September 2, a suicide car bomb destroyed the headquarters of the neighboring Hawlwadag district, killing three people.