Somalia's Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, have claimed the responsibility for the attack

MOGADISHU: A Somali official says a suicide car bomber detonated a vehicle packed with explosives at the gate of a military airstrip which is a base for US and Somali forces.

Yusuf Abdourahman, a security official with the Lower Shabelle regional administration, told The Associated Press that a burst of gunfire could be heard across the base after bombing, suggesting an ongoing attack on the base.

Somalia's Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, have claimed the responsibility for the attack.

The US military uses Belidogle airstrip in the Lower Shabelle region as a base where it launches drones that attack al-Shabab and trains Somali troops.

There are reports of a second attack on European Union peacekeepers in Mogadishu.