MOGADISHU — Somalia’s military chief escaped a roadside bomb attack Thursday which killed at least one soldier in the war-torn capital Mogadishu, officials and witnesses said.

The bomb exploded as newly-appointed military chief Mohamed Gele Kahiye was riding in his vehicle in southern Mogasihu.

“The roadside bomb was targeting the Somali military commander but he escaped the attack. One of his security guards was killed,” police spokesman Abdulahi Hasan Barise told a press conference.

“The attack was planned by the violent terrorists who were trying to assassinate the commander.”

The Al Qaeda-inspired Shebab militants claimed responsibility.

“The attack was part of efforts to eliminate the apostate commanders,” said a Shebab commander who did not want to be named.

“We got information indicating that the apostate government is planning an offensive against the holy warriors, but with the help of Allah we will destroy their intentions,” he added.

A witness, Abdi Elmi, said several people were injured in the blast, adding that “the government forces opened fire in all directions after the explosion.”

The Shebab and its Hezb al-Islam allies have carried out scores of deadly attacks against the internationally-backed Somali transitional government and the African Union peacekeepers protecting it.

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AFP

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