Somalia prime minister says a Turkish official and Somali student died in car blast attack

Somalia's prime minister says a Turkish security official and a Somali student were killed in a terrorist attack on the Turkish consulate and relief mission.

Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon said Sunday that three suicide bombers also died in the attack Saturday, which he condemned. He said acts of terrorism will not affect Somalia's relationship with Turkey.

Somali militant group al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for the attack on Twitter saying they were targeting a group of Turkish diplomats. The group said the operation was not a suicide attack and that those who carried out the attack had safely gone back to their bases.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab espouses a strict form of Islam and has long been threatening Turkish workers and aid agencies in Somalia accusing them of spreading secularism.