Somalia attack : 10 die in raid on Mogadishu courts

At least 10 people have been killed in an attack on the main law courts in the Somalian capital, Mogadishu.

Gunmen entered the courts, detonating explosives and opening fire, witnesses said.

A gunfight followed as security forces exchanged fire with the attackers, who remain unidentified.

There have also been reports of a second attack close to the headquarters of the security forces, and a third in an unconfirmed location.

It is not clear who carried out the attacks, but most in Mogadishu are blamed on Islamic militant group al-Shabab, which has links with al-Qaeda.

BBC reporter Mohamed Ibrahim at the scene says armed intruders entered the court in Mogadishu and began firing, after which there was an explosion.

An intelligence officer, Abdirahman Mohamed, told AFP news agency that at least one suicide bomber had blown himself up, leaving several people dead.

'Full of people'

"Armed men entered the court and then we heard a blast. Then they started opening fire," witness Hussein Ali, who works at the courts, told Reuters news agency.

Other witnesses said the attackers were dressed in Somali military uniform, and also reported a second explosion.

People were seen trying to escape the violence from the upper floors of the court buildings by breaking windows and climbing out of the building.

Our reporter says the courts are located in one of the busiest parts of the city, and were full of people when the attacks happened - Sunday is a normal working day in Somalia.

The incident comes a month after 10 people were killed in a suicide car bombing, in one of the deadliest attacks in the coastal city since a new UN-backed Somali government was formed last year

Security has improved in Mogadishu since al-Shabab withdrew from the city in August 2011, but the group's fighters still launch attacks.

The al-Qaeda-aligned insurgents have been forced out of main towns but still control most villages and rural areas.

For more than 20 years Somalia has seen clan-based warlords, rival politicians and Islamist militants battling for control of the country.