8 Dead in Somalia Capital Blast        09/25 08:40

   

   MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) -- A vehicle laden with explosives rammed into cars 
and trucks at a checkpoint leading to the entrance of the Presidential Palace 
in Somalia, killing at least eight people, police said Saturday.

   The checkpoint is the one used by Somalia's president and prime minister on 
their way to and from the airport in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.

   Nine other people were wounded in the bombing, police spokesman Abdifatah 
Adam Hassan said.

   The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group has claimed responsibility. 
The group often carries out such attacks in the capital.