Al-Shabab Islamic militants are claiming responsibility for a terrorist attack on a beach restaurant Tuesday in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.
Police say a car bomb blew up outside the eatery on Banadir beach before the gunmen ran inside and opened fire.
Somali security forces exchanged gunfire with the militants. One police officer says the militants were "gunned down," but it is unclear if that means they are dead or if anyone else was killed or wounded.
Al-Shabab attacked a neighboring hotel in January, killing more than 20 people.
VOA correspondent Harun Maruf reports a separate blast Thursday at a market in the southern Somali town of Bardhere that wounded 12 people, including security officials and the district commissioner.
The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab is waging a campaign of terrorism to try to overthrow the Somali government. Police, security officials and tourist spots are their most frequent targets.
Harun Maruf and Mohamed Olad Hassan of VOA’s Somali Service contributed to this report
