'Big explosions' near airport in Mogadishu

MOGADISHU - Big explosions have been heard near the airport in the Somali capital Mogadishu, local media have reported.

The BBC reports that thick smoke could be seen rising from the area, where there is also a base for African Union peacekeepers.

Local journalists said the blasts had been caused by two bombs. At least one was detonated by a suicide attacker in a vehicle near a checkpoint, they said.

No reports on casualties yet, according to the BBC.

Allied to al-Qaeda, militant Islamist group al-Shabaab often carried out attacks in Somalia in an attempt to oust the UN-backed government.

The group has been pushed out of most of the main towns it once controlled, but analysts say it remains a potent threat.