A roadside bomb has killed eight people and injured 12 in the Somali capital Mogadishu, dpa quoted the Horn of Africa nation's information ministry as saying on Tuesday. Nobody claimed immediate responsibility for the blast, but the information ministry blamed Islamist insurgent group al-Shababb, which has links to al-Qaeda. Al-Shabaab, which is battling to oust the weak Western-backed government, last Monday launched an offensive against the government and AU peacekeepers. Around 100 people have died since the onslaught began, including 33 in a suicide attack on a hotel that killed four lawmakers last Tuesday. Four Ugandan peacekeepers, part of the 6,000-strong African Union force protecting the government's territory in Mogadishu, were killed by an insurgent mortar on Monday. Al-Shabaab has grown in strength in recent months, backed by an influx of foreign fighters from countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. -- SPA
