Militants in Somalia attack presidential palace

A Somali child stands by his belongings as he flees from the Heliwa district in the north of the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Thursday, Feb. 20, 2014. Residents in Mogadishu say that hundreds of families are fleeing the Somali capital after a spike in the number of clashes between militants and pro-government troops, with dozens of vehicles piled high with belongings headed to the outskirts of Mogadishu on Thursday. AP

MOGADISHU, Somalia—Police in Somalia say that militants wearing suicide vests and carrying guns and grenades have attacked the presidential palace.

Police Capt. Mohamed Hussein said they began the attack with a car bomb, and then tried to fight their way into the presidential palace as guards returned fire.

Casualty figures were not immediately known.

A second police officer, Ali Hassan, said a second blast was heard during the attack.

The heavily guarded presidential palace is the residence of the country’s president, prime minister and speaker of parliament.

An Al-Qaeda-linked group called al-Shabab has been waging war in Somalia for years.

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