Large explosion outside Mogadishu airport, deaths reported

A large explosion was reported outside the international airport in Somalia’s capital on Wednesday and an emergency responder said there were deaths and injuries.

The founder of the Aamin ambulance service, Abdulkadir Adan, tweeted that he was “deeply saddened by the loss of life and injuries” in Mogadishu He posted a photo from the scene of a mangled vehicle.

It wasn't immediately clear how many people were dead or who was targeted. The Somali National News Agency reports “unspecified casualties.”

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group that controls parts of Somalia often carries out bombings at high-profile locations in the capital.