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At least two people have been killed by a car bomb attack on Somalia's main airport in Mogadishu, officials say.
A car-load of insurgents arrived after the explosion and opened fire on African Union peacekeepers, airport officials said.
Unconfirmed reports say AU soldiers and insurgents were killed in the battle.
No-one has admitted carrying out the attack, but analysts have blamed al-Shabab, the al-Qaeda linked group which is fighting the government.
Airport officials told the BBC that AU forces stopped the first vehicle as it drove towards the airport's main entrance.
The vehicle exploded, and shortly afterwards insurgents arrived in another vehicle and began shooting.
The officials said several insurgents were killed along with a Somali man working with a private airline.
Mohammed Abdi, a local shopkeeper, told the Reuters news agency that plumes of black smoke had risen into the air after two explosions.
"The car powerfully rammed an Amisom [African Union Mission in Somalia] troops' post at the airport's gate," he said.
He said eight people had died, including several AU soldiers.
A Somali military official told the Associated Press that two women had been killed while begging outside the airport's entrance.
In recent weeks, al-Shabab has stepped up the intensity of its insurgency against government forces and AU peacekeepers.
On Wednesday, 11 people were killed in clashes between al-Shabab fighters and Somali troops.
In the worst single attack, gunmen from the Islamist group stormed a hotel last month and killed at least 32 people, including six MPs.
Al-Shabab is fighting to overthrow the government and install its own radical interpretation of Islamic law.
Al-Shabab and other Islamist rebels control large parts of the country, while the government holds only small parts of Mogadishu.
This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
At least two people have been killed by a car bomb attack on Somalia's main airport in Mogadishu, officials say.
A car-load of insurgents arrived after the explosion and opened fire on African Union peacekeepers, airport officials said.
Unconfirmed reports say AU soldiers and insurgents were killed in the battle.
No-one has admitted carrying out the attack, but analysts have blamed al-Shabab, the al-Qaeda linked group which is fighting the government.
Airport officials told the BBC that AU forces stopped the first vehicle as it drove towards the airport's main entrance.
The vehicle exploded, and shortly afterwards insurgents arrived in another vehicle and began shooting.
The officials said several insurgents were killed along with a Somali man working with a private airline.
Mohammed Abdi, a local shopkeeper, told the Reuters news agency that plumes of black smoke had risen into the air after two explosions.
"The car powerfully rammed an Amisom [African Union Mission in Somalia] troops' post at the airport's gate," he said.
He said eight people had died, including several AU soldiers.
A Somali military official told the Associated Press that two women had been killed while begging outside the airport's entrance.
In recent weeks, al-Shabab has stepped up the intensity of its insurgency against government forces and AU peacekeepers.
On Wednesday, 11 people were killed in clashes between al-Shabab fighters and Somali troops.
In the worst single attack, gunmen from the Islamist group stormed a hotel last month and killed at least 32 people, including six MPs.
Al-Shabab is fighting to overthrow the government and install its own radical interpretation of Islamic law.
Al-Shabab and other Islamist rebels control large parts of the country, while the government holds only small parts of Mogadishu.
This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.