A car bomb exploded Thursday , killing at least 12 people near Somalia 's national intelligence headquarters in the capital of Mogadishu , security spokesman Idris Aden said . Most of them were government soldiers . At least 10 other people were injured in the blast after a minivan packed with explosives crashed into a restaurant and blew up , sending flames and black smoke into the air . Al-Shabaab rebels claimed responsibility for the attack , which spokesman Sheikh Abdiaziz Abu Musab said killed 15 security force members . The injured were taken to a nearby hospital , Aden said . The restaurant is popular with Somali security forces . Last week , militants carried out a deadly attack on Somalia 's presidential palace , exploding a bomb and then opening fire . At least 12 died , including two government officials and seven Al-Shabaab attackers , but President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was unharmed . Bombings have rattled Mogadishu in regular intervals this year , and Al-Shabaab has regularly taken responsibility for them . The group , which the United States has designated as a terrorist organization , hopes to turn Somalia into a fundamentalist Islamic state by force . It also has launched attacks in other countries , such as Kenya and Uganda , that have killed dozens .
Al - Qaeda rebels claimed responsibility for the attack . A truck packed with explosives hit a restaurant popular with security forces . At least five people were injured . Last week , rebels carried out a deadly attack on Somalia 's presidential palace .