MOGADISHU: A suspected car bomb killed at least two policemen when it exploded at a checkpoint near the Somali capital Mogadishu on Saturday, police said.

"A blast took place at the Siinkadheer checkpoint," Police Major Nur Farah told Reuters. The area lies some 15 kilometres northwest of Mogadishu.

The Somali Islamist group al Shabaab often carries out such attacks in the capital. The group wants to topple the Western-backed government and impose its strict interpretation of Islam.