Al-Shabaab launches mortar attacks near Somalia's main airport

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Al-Shabaab militants fired multiple mortar rounds near Mogadishu's airport on Sunday morning, disrupting international flights to Somalia, a security official told AFP.

The attack comes just weeks after a roadside bomb blast narrowly missed the convoy of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, with Al-Shabaab claiming responsibility.

According to security sources, the mortars were launched from the outskirts of Mogadishu and landed in an open area of Aden Adde International Airport.

"There were about two to three mortar shells that struck an open area of the airport early this morning," a security official, who requested anonymity, told AFP.

A Turkish plane scheduled to land at the airport was rerouted to Djibouti, an airport employee said, also speaking on condition of anonymity. He added that they were informed EgyptAir had also cancelled its flight for the day.

Halane camp -- a heavily fortified compound that houses the United Nations, aid agencies, foreign missions and the headquarters of the African Union's Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) -- was also targeted, according to AUSSOM spokesman, Said Mwachinalo.

"There has been shelling. Our team is currently on the ground making assessment," Lieutenant Colonel Mwachinalo told AFP.

AUSSOM condemned the attack on its base, saying the strike "will not undermine its commitment to supporting Somalia in fighting terrorism".

No casualties have been reported so far and some operations at the airport seem to be ongoing, the security official said.

The government is yet to comment on the attack.

Al-Shabaab has been fighting the federal government in Somalia for more than 15 years, and analysts say its threat has increased in recent months.

The latest attacks have raised fears of a resurgence of the jihadist militia, potentially reversing gains made by the Somali government and its international partners over the years, analysts say.