MOGADISHU, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people including government soldiers were killed and several others injured in a series of attacks by extremist group Al-Shabaab on the Somali town of Afgoye, some 30km south of the capital Mogadishu, police said Tuesday.

An Afgoye police commander, Col. Abdi Ibrahim Shamow, said a landmine blast killed three government soldiers, a civilian and injured nine others early Tuesday.

He said the injured had been rushed to a hospital in Mogadishu and that "we are in an operation in the town at moment."

Local police earlier said Al-Shabaab militants attacked Afgoye on Monday evening, killing four people.

A local official Abdullahi Hassan Abdi confirmed the Monday evening attack.

"Al-Shabaab militants killed civilians including a famous businesswoman in this town and injured five others including a government soldier on Monday evening," the local official said.

"The soldiers inflicted casualties on the militants, but I cannot tell the number of deaths and injuries on their side," he added.

Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the Monday evening attack, claiming its militants killed a number of government soldiers and officials, but it has not commented on the Tuesday blast.

Locals told Xinhua there had been intense gunfire between government troops and Al-Shabaab fighters in Afgoye in the past two days.

Al-Shabaab militants have carried out frequent attacks in Somalia in its decade-long fight against the government.

The Somali troops, backed by African Union peacekeeping forces, are battling the militants as the Horn of Africa nation gears up for presidential election.