An injured student is assisted from the scene after a car exploded in a suicide attack near Mucassar primary and secondary school in Hodan district of Mogadishu, Somalia on Thursday. (Feisal Omar/Reuters) Al-Shabaab in a statement carried by its Andalus radio said it targeted Western officials being escorted by the African Union (AU) peacekeeping convoy. But a witness, Hassan Ali, told the AP that a private security company was escorting the officials and said he saw four of the security personnel wounded. The attack occurred as Somalia faces major questions about its political and security future. The AU peacekeeping force was meant to withdraw from the country, but its mission could be extended amid concerns that Somali forces are not ready to assume responsibility for security. The U.S. early this year said its troop withdrawal from Somalia was complete. A long-delayed presidential vote was meant to take place in February but now looks set to be held next year.
