Witnesses said that they heard a powerful explosion near a police station on October 21 Road.

The explosion sent Plumes of black smoke  into the sky, turning the scene into pools of blood.

The bomber reportedly used a truck laden with explosives and may have been targeting a vehicle carrying Somali soldiers.

The Al Qaeda-linked militant insurgent group Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the blast through local media affiliates.

Al-Shabab has been waging a deadly war against Somalia’s internationally-backed government since being ousted from the capital over a decade ago.

Earlier this week, heavy fighting broke out between government soldiers and Al-Shabab fighters in the Galgadud district, which resulted in many casualties. The Somali government said that it killed 21 insurgents as they repelled an attack in the town of Adakibir; however, at least two senior Somali military commanders were felled in the battle.