Somali lawmaker killed, 8 civilians injured in Mogadishu car-bomb explosion

A Somali lawmaker was killed and eight civilians were wounded on Monday after a bomb explosion ripped through the official's vehicle in the Somali capital Mogadishu, police confirmed.

Mohamoud Abdi Ibrahim, a lawmaker, was instantly killed after the bomb explosion and his body dismembered by the force of the blast on his car.

Initial police report indicated that the body in the vehicle was that of the bomber but officials later confirmed it was that of the lawmaker.

"We can now confirm to you that it is lawmaker Mohamoud Abdi Ibrahim that was killed in the explosion and that eight other people in the area were wounded by the explosion" Garad Nur Abdulle, local police commander told media.

Somali security forces cordoned off the area and asking people to stay away from the scene of the explosion.

The wounded were rushed to the hospitals by local voluntary ambulance services.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for this attack so far but militant group Al-Shabaab has previously carried out similar suicide car bomb attack against Somali government targets and AU peacekeeping forces.

The radical group which has links to al Qaida has recently been weakened by concerted military offensives by Somali government forces and African Union troops.

The Al-Shabaab fighters which controlled much of southern and central Somalia have lost large swathes of territory since they were forced to withdraw from the capital Mogadishu in August.