A large explosion outside the international airport in Somalia’s capital killed at least eight people and wounded nine others on Wednesday, a local doctor said.

Dr. Abdulkadir Adam with Medina hospital shared the toll with The Associated Press. Witnesses at the scene said a passing U.N. convoy appeared to be the target in the Mogadishu blast near a checkpoint leading to the heavily fortified airport.

The founder of the Aamin ambulance service, Abdulkadir Adan, tweeted that he was "deeply saddened by the loss of life and injuries" in Mogadishu. He posted a photo from the scene of a mangled vehicle.

The al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group that controls parts of Somalia often carries out bombings at high-profile locations in the capital.