An attack by Islamist militant group al-Shebab on the Somali parliament in Mogadishu has left at least eleven people dead.

Militants stormed the UN-backed parliament after a car bomb and suicide bomb exploded at the gates at around midday local time (09:00 GMT), while parliament was in session.

Somali police were aided by African union troops in fighting off the attackers.

At least four police officers are reported to have been killed in the battle alongside a number of militants.

Two MPs are believed to have been injured, but the rest were evacuated to safety unharmed.

Al-Shebab is an al-Qaeda-linked group which once controlled large swatches of Somalia, but has been pushed out of the major cities in recent years. However the group still manages to regularly launch attacks within Mogadishu.