Huge explosions occurred in Somali capital Mogadishu on Friday night, according to reports reaching Nairobi on Saturday.

The local Shabelle Media Network said unknown assailants have targeted the Ethiopian military barracks that lie between el-Arfid, a settlement on the northern edge of Mogadishu, and Darmoley, about 10 km south of the capital.

The noisy mortar explosions could be heard in Mogadishu overnight.

Ali Saed, the commander of the police force for Banadir province (Mogadishu), has told Shabelle on Saturday that they knew the perpetrators who were to blame for last night's mortar attacks against the Ethiopians and that the police would truck them down.

The number of casualties is yet to be known.

Artillery explosions aimed at the government and Ethiopian military positions in and around the capital have increased since the government settled in Mogadishu in late December last year.

The frequent attacks against the Ethiopian troops came as they began withdrawing from Somalia.

Source: Xinhua