Somali secuirty forces walk past the wreckage of building at the scene of suicide attack in Mogadishu Somalia Jan 2. 2017 (Xinhua/Faisal Isse)

MOGADISHU, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Two powerful blasts went off near the airport and the base of Africa Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) in the Somali capital Mogadishu, followed by heavy gunfire on Monday, an official and witnesses said.

AMISOM spokesman Joe Kibet confirmed the incidents but did not give the number of casualties.

Witnesses said the initial blast targeted the Halane military base manned by AU forces while the second went off outside a hotel next to Aden Adde International Airport.

Sporadic gunfire could still be heard from the two locations.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Somalia-based extremist group Al-Shabaab has carried out frequent assaults in the country, including many in Mogadishu.