Gunfire Near International Airport In Somali Capital

Gunfire erupted near Mogadishu's airport Wednesday as security forces clashed with armed men attempting to storm a heavily fortified area of the Somali capital, witnesses said, as Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack.

"There is gunfire inside the airport vicinity, and we are (hearing) this is an ongoing attack involving gunmen, we don't have details so far but the security forces are engaging them now," said Mohamed Ali, who works for airport security.

Witnesses reported hearing heavy gunfire while the nation's public broadcaster Somali National Television (SNTV) said on Twitter that "security forces are attending a terrorist incident at one of main gates of Mogadishus Halane compound."

The airport complex houses the UN, aid agencies and foreign missions and contractors, as well as the headquarters of the African Union military mission, AMISOM.

"The movement of transport along the road inside the airport is stopped," Ahmed Dahir, an employee at a hotel inside the complex, said.

Al-Shabaab, which has been waging a violent insurgency against the country's fragile government for over a decade, claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Al-Qaeda-linked militants frequently carry out attacks in the capital and elsewhere in the country against civilian, military and government targets.

The militants controlled Mogadishu until 2011 when they were pushed out by AMISOM troops, but they still hold territory in the countryside.