Meanwhile, an African Union spokesman said militants targeted its base in Halane near the airport.
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The force of the explosions shattered windows at the nearby airport, showered arriving passengers with glass and forced the suspension of flights, police and witnesses said.
Al-Shabab released audio through its radio station allegedly of the ex-MP, where he says, “This suicide task we are going to is for the sake of Allah and it is a religious duty”.
The nationalities of those killed have not been confirmed.
Writer and photographer Sakariye Cismaan, who lives in a residential zone close to the airport, said his house was covered in dust and from the explosion, and a small rock.
At least 13 people have been killed after suicide bombers attacked the African Union’s main peacekeeping base in Somalia’s capital on Tuesday.
Mogadishu // At least 13 people were killed in twin bombings by Al Shabab militants near the Somali capital’s airport on Tuesday.
Claiming the attack, Al-Shabaab spokesman Abdiasis Abu Musab said both attackers detonated auto bombs and that it was targeting the AU force’s headquarters.
According to reports from the residents, a suicide bomber tried to drive a auto packed with explosives through a Somali security checkpoint and then detonated the explosives causing casualties. Ban “reaffirms that such criminal acts will not diminish the strong resolve of the United Nations to continue supporting the people and Government of Somalia in their work to build peace and stability in the country”, the statement said.
He said the overwhelming majority of Somalis have rejected such terrorist tactics and the use of violence to achieve political objectives.
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More than 22,000 troops and police serve in the AU force, which also includes troops from Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya, Sierra Leone and Ethiopia. The driver was stopped by security guards but succeeded in detonating the vehicle bomb. The second blast occurred at a checkpoint manned by Somali government forces.
