At least 10 people are feared dead following a suicide car bomb attack in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.

The attack targeted a convoy carrying a senior police official Farhan Mohamud Qarole at the busy Banadir junction in the city.

Fortunately, Qarole survived the attack, but at least 8 individuals have lost their lives as a result of the attack.

Somalia’s police spokesperson Sadiq Aden Ali has blamed the Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group Al-Shabab for the attack.

“Al-Shabab militants’ intention was to kill the commander, but he survived,” Sadiq said.

Al-Shabab seems to have scores to settle with the police chief Qarole since he was one of them, before defecting and joined the government. 

The militant group fighting to overthrow Somalia’s internationally recognized government has claimed responsibility for the attack and said the police officers that died in the attack were bodyguards to the police chief.

According to reports, some civilians have also lost their lives in the attack.