Nairobi (Kenya), Jul 4 (AP) Police in Somalia's capital say a suicide bomber has detonated an explosives-laden vehicle near the port in Mogadishu as thick smoke billows over the area.

Col. Ahmed Ali says the blast occurred near the gates of the motor vehicle imports duty authority headquarters.

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The car bomber sped through the first security checkpoint before police officers opened fire at the vehicle which exploded outside the gates, Ismail Mukhtar, spokesman for Somalia's information ministry, told The Associated Press.

He confirmed that people were injured.

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The explosion was heard across Mogadishu. Ambulance sirens wailed, police and a resident said.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group based in Somalia often targets the capital with suicide bombings. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)