At least 3 soldiers dead in Mogadishu roadside bombing

At least three Somali government soldiers were killed including a senior military officer on Wednesday in a roadside bomb explosion in Mogadishu's Heliwa district, officials and witnesses said.

Military officer Abdiwahid Sabriye told Xinhua that the dead soldiers who were traveling in Heliwa district hit a bomb which had been planted on the roadside.

"Our forces were traveling at Heliwa district and a bomb could have been planted on the roadside targeted them," he said.

"We deployed troops to the scene, and we have detained some suspected people," the officer added.

Shiine Abdullah, one of the residents of Hiliwa, told Xinhua that a heavy explosion which occurred at midday targeted government soldiers, adding that Heliwa district usually witnesses acts of violence against government forces.

"The explosion was huge, and government forces opened gunfire after the blast we were unable to know more details," he said.

Somali militant group Al-Shabaab claimed the responsibility of the attack, vowing to carry out more similar attacks during the holy month of Ramadhan.

The Al-Qaida-linked extremists who remain dangerous and unpredictable have vowed to step up attacks on government bases and African Union Peacekeepers during the holy month of Ramadan.