One Dead in Somali Capital Grenade Attack

An insurgent killed a woman and wounded three people when he hurled a grenade in a busy street in Somalia's war-ravaged capital, police and witnesses said Thursday.

"The woman died as people rushed her to the hospital," said Abdi Mohammed Ahmed, a bus conductor who witnessed the attack, in Mogadishu's central K4 district.

"A woman was killed and three others were wounded after a hand grenade was thrown," said a police officer who asked not to be named, adding that a military vehicle was believed to have been the intended target.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest in a string of grenade blasts in the city, many of which are regularly blamed on the Al-Qaida linked Shebab.

A senior Shebab official they had "no information" on the attack, but claimed that "most of the Somali youth are against the government".

After more than two decades of war, the seaside city has seen modest improvements since the Shebab left frontline fighting positions last year, with a boom in building and businesses.

However, the hardline Shebab fighters switched to guerrilla attacks -- including suicide bombings -- and remain a potent threat.

Last week 18 people died from a double suicide attack on a new upmarket restaurant recently set up by the Somali diaspora.