Somalia attack: Al-Shabab targets diplomat in Mogadishu Published duration 24 June 2015

image caption The UAE ambassador survived as he was in a bulletproof vehicle

A military vehicle escorting a United Arab Emirates' diplomatic convoy was hit by a car bomb in Somalia's capital, killing at least 12 people, police say.

The UAE ambassador survived the suicide attack as he was riding in a bullet-proof land cruiser vehicle, the BBC's Mohamed Moalimu reports from Mogadishu.

The militant Islamist group al-Shabab says it carried out the attack, to target "a foreign enemy".

Al-Shabab is battling Somalia's government for control of the country.

The militants have vowed to intensify attacks during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began on Wednesday.