Extremists kill eight African Union soldiers

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Fighters with the al-Shabab extremist group ambushed an African Union convoy in southern Somalia and killed at least eight soldiers on Sunday, a Somali military officer said.

The attack came hours after a car bomb in the capital killed at least five people, most of them civilians, shattering a month of relative calm in Mogadishu.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab fighters attacked the convoy near Bulo-Marer town in Lower Shabelle region, Col. Muhyadin Yasin said.

Uganda’s defense ministry confirmed the attack on the multinational force, saying an unknown number of troops were killed. “A lot of damage was inflicted on the enemy,” a statement said.

The extremist group claimed that the attack killed 39 soldiers.