10 civilians killed in jihadist attack in Mogadishu

Al-Shabaab fighters attacked a house in Somalia's capital Mogadishu on Tuesday, killing 10 civilians, the government said.

The raid took place around 1200 GMT in the northern district of Abdiasiz, the government said, adding that three civilians had been wounded. "The security forces rescued and extracted many other civilians from that house and other nearby buildings during the attack," it said.

The attack was claimed by the Al-Shabaab, which is linked to Al-Qaeda.

In recent months, the Somali army and local clan militias have retaken chunks of territory from the militants in an operation backed by US air strikes and an African Union force known as ATMIS.

But Al-Shabaab still control parts of the countryside from where they have carried out numerous retaliatory attacks both in Somalia and in neighbouring countries.