At least 4 killed in S. Somalia blast: police

A bomb explosion killed at least 4 people, wounded several others in Kismayo city, southern Somalia on Saturday, police said.

Mohamed Ahmed, police officer in Kismayo, told Xinhua that 3 civilians and one soldier were killed in the explosion in a busy restaurant in the city.

"A bomb planted inside the restaurant exploded while several people were inside. We can confirm that 3 civilians and one Somali soldier died in the blast," he said.

Ahmed added that Al-Shabab militants were behind the attack, but the group did not claim the responsibility for the attack so far.

Ridwan Isse, a local resident living nearby, told Xinhua that he heard huge blast at the restaurant.

"I was sitting close to the restaurant when the bomb exploded, after a few minutes I saw 4 people died, including a soldier" he said.

"I saw heavily armed Somali troops arriving on the scene to enhance the security after the incident. The situation now is stable" said another resident, Yasin Jilikow.

Although the Al-Qaida linked group Al-Shabaab, which is battling to topple Somali federal government, has lost many strongholds in southern and central Somalia, the group is still able to launch attacks in Somalia and neighboring countries.

On Monday, the militants exploded a car bomber near the presidential palace in capital Mogadishu, killing 11 people. Enditem