MOGADISHU, July 29 (Xinhua) -- At least two people were injured in a landmine explosion at Hilwaa district in the outskirts of Mogadishu Saturday.
A police officer, Abdi Khayliye told Xinhua the two were injured when the car they were travelling in ran into a landmine believed to have been planted along Ex-Control- Bal'ad road located some 10 kilometers south west of the capital Mogadishu.
"The blast caused the injury of two people who were travelling in a car. We are already investigating the matter," said Khayliye.
An eye witness recounted the incident to Xinhua, saying the blast sparked large black plumes of smoke that were visible throughout the area.
"There was a huge blast which hit a private car on this road and it's said two people who were in it were injured. Security forces arrived shortly and cordoned off the place," said Ahmed Nur.
Nur said the security has been beefed up at the scene which was later sealed as security officers launched investigations to establish the motive behind the incident.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack but the militant group Al-Shabaab has carried out similar attacks against government forces in the past.
The militants have intensified roadside blasts in the recent past to stage major assaults on the government and African Union peacekeeping mission forces in Mogadishu and across the Horn of Africa nation.
