Police Spokesperson Abdifatah Aden Hassan said the blast which occurred between Mogadishu and Afgoye district targeted a security vehicle carrying Mogadishu police commander Farhan Qarole who luckily escaped unhurt.

"A passer-by civilian, together with three of Qarole’s bodyguards, were killed and eight others wounded,” Aden said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.

He added the blast occurred as the police commander was returning from quelling a dispute between security officers in the Lower Shabelle region.

The Al-Shabab militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it targeted a convoy of vehicles escorting the police commander.