8 militants die in raiding conference venue in Somalia

Eight gunmen, believed to be Al-Shabab militants, died in an attempted suicide attack on a conference venue in the town of Adado, central Somalia on Thursday.

The attackers raided the headquarters of the ongoing State Formation Conference, sparking a fierce gunfight, local security official Osman Adde told Xinhua.

"Four of them blew themselves up, as well as a car bomb exploded outside the gate. The attackers exchanged fire with security forces, and then we forced them to flee from the place," Adde, said, adding that the other four died of gunshot wounds later.

"During the attack, there was no meeting going on in the hall. We will fight terrorist groups to destroy them permanently," he said.

Local resident Dahir Shoute said he saw huge smoke billowing from the scene and heard heavy gunfire. The great explosion caused tension in the town and forced many residents to flee for their safety.

"I was near the scene, and I heard a huge explosion followed by heavy gunfire. The situation was very tense at the moment," Shoute said.

It is reported that Al-Shabab militants have vowed to step up attacks on government bases and African peacekeeping forces in Mogadishu during the holy month of Ramadan. Endi