Bomb targets president's convoy in Somalia

A roadside bomb exploded near Somalia's presidential palace and the government said the attack by a militant group targeted the president's convoy.

- 

The Information Ministry in a statement called the attack in the capital Mogadishu a "cowardly act of desperation" by the militant group Al-Shabab, which claimed responsibility. The statement did not provide an official death toll but a witness said he counted three bodies at the scene.

The president was unharmed.

Al-Shabab, which opposes Somalia's federal government, frequently carries out bombings and assaults targeting government officials and military personnel in the Horn of Africa nation. The group controls parts of rural Somalia and poses a significant threat despite sustained military operations by government troops and African Union peacekeepers.