At least 39 people were killed in a powerful explosion in Somalia's capital city Mogadishu on Thursday.<br />''<br />''An Islamic extremist group claimed that a Mogadishu hotel was the intended target, but a police officer said militants detonated a bomb while trying to assassinate a judge. Al-Shabab, which is considered the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa, claimed responsibility for the attack. <br />''<br />''It said the Maka Almukarramah hotel, not the judge's house nearby, was the intended target. The militant group, which opposes Somalia's federal government and wants to impose sharia law, has carried out many deadly attacks inside Somalia and elsewhere in the region, including in neighbouring Kenya.<br />''<br />''The US has dramatically increased airstrikes against the extremist group since President Donald Trump took office. <br />''<br />''<br />