Al-Shabab launches deadly attack on Somali ministry

At least ten are dead after attackers detonated bombs outside Somalia's Higher Education Ministry and then opened fire.

An Al Jazeera correspondent reporting from the scene, in the center of the capital Mogadishu, said he counted the bodies of eight civilians and two soldiers after Tuesday's assault.

Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, an Al-Shabab spokesperson, told Reuters that the armed group was behind the attack.

Speaking as fighting still raged around the building, Major Ali Nur, a police officer, told Reuters: “First two blasts occurred, a bike blast and a car blast, outside the building, then armed fighters stormed in.”

About an hour and a half after the explosions, police said they had secured the building.

Sources told Al Jazeera that three African Union soldiers had been holed up inside the building to protect the ministry in the event of such an attack. More African Union forces had quickly reached the ministry, which is located in a busy street adjacent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The AU has been supporting Somali troops in a campaign against Al-Shabab. The government relies heavily on the African peacekeepers for security, guarding major buildings and installations.

Al-Shabab continues to wage a deadly campaign against Somalia's government and remains a threat in Somalia and the East African region.

The group has carried out numerous attacks in Somalia and in neighboring countries, including Kenya, whose armies are part of the African Union peacekeeping mission known as AMISOM.

Al-Shabab controlled much of Mogadishu during the years 2007 to 2011, but was pushed out of Somalia's capital and other major cities by the AU forces.

Tuesday's comes just two weeks after Al-Shabab gunned down nearly 150 people at a Kenya university campus.

Al Jazeera and Reuters