Suspected al-Shabaab gunmen attack Somali education ministry, take hostages - CBS News

Suspected al-Shabaab gunmen attack Somali education ministry, take hostages - CBS News

Eight people were killed on Tuesday in an attack on a Somali government office complex in the capital, according to police.
Police have secured the ministry of higher education office complex, said Capt. Mohamed Hussein, a senior police officer.
The attackers stormed the ministry of higher education after a suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle at the gate of the office complex, opening the way for gunmen to enter, said Hussein.
The assault on the walled compound which also houses other government ministries is the latest attack by suspected Islamic extremists of al-Shabaab who attack government targets and the African Union forces who are supporting the government.
Smoke could be seen rising over the compound and gunfire was heard from inside.
Security forces rushed to the scene and ambulances ferried wounded victims to hospitals.

 Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the massacre at a college in eastern Kenya earlier this month.

The attack on Garissa University College left 148 people dead. The militants rampaged through the dorms, demanding to know who was Christian and who was Muslim and killing many of the Christians on the spot.
The Somali-based terror group, which has pledged allegiance to al Qaeda, vowed to carry out more attacks in neighboring Kenya.