A pair of suicide car bomb attacks killed at least 10 people at a local government headquarters in Somalia on Sunday.

The militant al-Shabab group claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred in the town of Galkayo, in the semi-autonomous Puntland region.

"We have confirmed 10 people dead, including civilians and security forces," said Ali Ahmed, a police officer. At least 15 more were injured.

Witnesses and local residents described hearing two loud blasts in quick succession followed by heavy gunfire.

"There were two huge bombs," said local resident Halima Ismail. "The first one was a truck bomb, followed a minute or so (later) by another car bomb. My brother was injured at the scene."

A gruesome scene

Local resident Hassan Abdukadir said he counted a dozen bodies, some burned beyond recognition.

"It was horrible. The first blast was caused by a truck loaded with explosives, and the second was a minibus," he said.

Al-Shabab has been carrying out a series of deadly attacks in Somalia.

"There were two suicide car bombs," Abdiasis Abu Musab, the group's spokesman for military operations, told Reuters.

In March, al-Shabab militants killed at least six people, including a senior local government official, in an attack on a hotel in Galkayo.

Al-Shabab, an affiliate of the terror organization al Qaeda, is fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government in the capital, Mogadishu. The militants are expected to attempt to violently disrupt elections scheduled for September and October.

bik/tj (Reuters, AP, AFP)