Blast and gunfire heard in Somali capital

A big blast was heard in Somalia's capital in Mogadishu on Sunday, followed by gunfire, a Reuters journalist said.

It was unclear what had happened, but the militant group al Shabaab frequently carries out bombings in its war on Somalia's central government, which is backed by the United Nations and African Union (AU) peacekeeping troops. Al Shabaab is allied with al Qaeda and wants to rule Somalia according to its interpretation of Islamic sharia law.

There was no immediate word from Somali officials or the AU mission on Sunday's incident.